1973, the Soviet Union. Rafael, an Estonian border guard, is the sole survivor of a sudden attack by flying warrior monks at the Soviet-Chinese border. Mesmerized by their incredible skills, long hair, and red boombox blasting forbidden Black Sabbath music, the young man becomes inspired to master kung fu himself. Rafael gets an unexpected opportunity to do so in the most unlikely place — an Orthodox monastery near his hometown. It turns out that the local priests not only read the Bible but also perform flips, fight with poles, and have mastered the art of throwing dumplings. Their leader, Nafanail, is seeking a successor, but not all monks are keen on seeing an outsider rebel take up that mantle. From the combination of the incongruous — dark humor and spirituality, heavy metal and Gregorian chants, Wuxia fantasy and Soviet retro-comedy — comes an absurd yet heartfelt film that exalts everything that can be considered sacred. This film is nominated for the Golden Leopard at Locarno and participates in the main competition at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival.

About the film

Original language: Estonian

Subtitles: Belarusian | English