Have you seen The Island?

It’s a Russian movie (original title, Ostrov) about a young man who is forced during the war to shoot his captain. Right after the tragedy, he ends up at a monastery and begins a tortured life of repentance, which frequently drives his fellow monks to exasperation.

The movie primarily follows the closing chapter of Fr. Anatoly’s life. Regarded as a holy man, locals flock to him for his spiritual insight. In one scene a fearful young woman comes to him, hoping somehow for a rationale to abort her baby.

“[Y]ou’ll be cursing yourself all your life that you killed an innocent child,” says Fr. Anatoly.

“How do you know?” the girl asks.

“Maybe I too killed a man,” he answers.

The story is moving and the acting superb. Fr. Anatoly is played by Pyotr Mamonov, a Russian songwriter and rock musician. The subtitles in the above version are not great, but it’s something pretty amazing to watch on a Sunday.