As someone who has had the experience of participating
in and evaluating dozens of film, TV and video projects
on Doukhobor topics over the past 40 years, it gives me
great pleasure to state that the above-named documentary
video is most certainly a contender for the best all around
such production ever!
It is especially inspiring that this project touches on
the very essence of the Doukhobor life-concept and world
view, the very spiritual core of Doukhoborism, so to speak,
and does so with a rare combination of sensitivity and insight.
The content of this documentary is impeccably authentic,
in that it records the involvement and perceptions of a
wide cross-section of actual practising Doukhobors, of all
generations, and allows them to sing and to speak for themselves,
from within their own individual Doukhobor context.
At the same time, in presenting the narrative of this video
through the eyes of his 12-year-old son, A.J. (Aaron Jacob),
producer Ron Mahonin has attained a masterstroke. The two-year
project's unfoldment is revealed to the audience in the
voice of this charismatic young lad, whose sense of wonderment
at the discovery of both his own heretofore unknown heritage
and its mysterious psalm singing tradition, is so genuine
and sincere that it infects all those who bear witness to
it, thus most effectively conveying the subject matter of
the video.
This is a production of the highest calibre, in both its
content and technical aspects, making it somewhat difficult
to comprehend that it was put together on a meager budget,
with the most rudimentary equipment and settings. It nevertheless
deserves the highest level of recognition and the broadest
possible audience, and we can only hope that such a great
potential will be fully realized.
In any case, there is no doubt whatsoever that no one who
experiences this video will come away unmoved. In fact,
it is much more likely that they will come away with the
feeling that they have been given a glimpse into the very
Doukhobor soul.
-D.E. (Jim) Popoff
August, 2009
