Almost Holy

Dir. Steve Hoover, The Animal/Orchard, 100 min, 2015, USA/Ukraine

Charismatic priest Gennadiy Mokhnenko’s mission is to take homeless, drug-addicted youth off the streets of Mariupol, Ukraine. Mokhnenko’s approach, practically forcing the youth into the shelter he established in 2000, called the Pilgrim Republic, invokes controversy, and that is why he has to deal with miscomprehension from both the locals and officials. Still, as Gennadiy’s accomplishments have offered many homeless youth a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation, society is gradually coming round. The director has created an unusual confessional and provocative journey, invoking the question of whether the end justifies the means.

Mokhnenko’s parents were alcoholics. There are on average 50 children at his shelter each day. Latvia leads in Europe with 79% of children under the age of 13 having tried alcohol at least once. In accordance with the observations of narcologists at rehabilitation centres for the under-aged, dependency in minors can develop in as little as a few months