
English: 
[CHORAL MUSIC PLAYING]
ROCCO CASTORO: There is a place
in Russia where people
have discovered the secret of
living in perfect harmony.
A place where the children run
free, where the Earth provides
everything you need, and where
money is meaningless.
Welcome to the Church of
the Last Testament.
This is Petropavlovka, a small
settlement located deep within
the Taiga Forest of Siberia,
over 100 miles away from the
nearest town.
It looks like an elf village at,
like, a putt-putt course.
About 20 years ago a handful
of disciples came here to
worship and live with Vissarion,
or "the teacher,"
as he is commonly known.
Today, Vissarion's Church of
the Last Testament has over

Serbian: 
Postoji mesto u Rusiji
gde su ljudi otkrili tajnu
života u savršenom skladu.
Mesto gde deca slobodno trče,
gde zemlja daje
sve što je potrebno,
i gde je novac beznačajan.
Dobro došli u Crkvu Poslednjeg zaveta.
Ovo je Petropavlovka,
mala naseobina
koja se nalazi duboko
u tajgama Sibira,
preko 160 kilometara
od najbližeg grada.
Izgleda kao selo patuljaka,
kao teren za golf.
Pre nekih 20 godina,
šačica sledbenika je došla ovamo
da bogosluži i živi
sa Visarionom,
ili učiteljem,
kako ga najviše zovu.

Serbian: 
Danas Visarionova Crkva
Poslednjeg zaveta
ima preko 5,000 pristalica
po celom svetu.
Oko 2,000 njih žive ovde
i u okolnim oblastima.
Sreća je bila tajna.
Kada vas pozovem,
u tom trenutku ćete
videti
svet sreće i čistote.
Dodirnite svet
ispred sebe.
Došao sam ovamo nadajući se
da ću lično upoznati čoveka
koji nije dao intervju
nijednom mediju u protekle tri godine.
Obratite pažnju na glas
koji vam je poslao bog
da bi vas spasao.
[VISARION][MESIJA]
Pre dve decenije,ovaj čovek je bio poznat kao
Sergej Anatolijevič Torpov,
dvadesetdevetogodišnji policajac
koji je iznenada doživeo otkrovenje,
shvativši da kroz njega
govori Bog.
Primi ovu svetu pričest.
Bilo je podesno što se
ova spoznaja dogodila

English: 
5,000 followers from all
around the world.
About 2,000 live here and in
the surrounding areas.
[SINGING IN RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: I came here in
hopes of meeting the man
himself, who hasn't granted an
interview to the media in at
least three years.
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Two decades ago,
that man was known as
Sergey Anatolyevitch Torop, a
29-year-old patrol officer who
suddenly had a revelation that
his was the word of God.
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Conveniently,
this realization happened
right around the time
the Soviet Union, a
self-proclaimed nation of
atheists, began to crumble,
and religion became an
acceptable topic of

English: 
discussion in Russia.
He soon began writing the Last
Testament, a 12-volume
follow-up of sorts to the New
Testament, which details the
religion's major tenets and
provides answers to some of
life's most mundane questions,
such as which brand of
detergent you should use.
Labeled a dangerous cult by
some, it has been reported
that Vissarion and his followers
believe in aliens,
think suicide is A-OK, and
believe that the end of the
world is imminent.
There are rules here that
I was warned about--
no cussing, no tobacco,
no alcohol, no meat.
I believe it's all vegan.
I've got to watch my mouth
because I have a dirty mouth.
And I like meat, I like
drugs, sometimes.
There's none of that here, so
it's going be good to dry up.
I was invited here by one of
the church's more recent
converts, a 24-year-old woman
named Tamriko, who worked as a
lawyer in Moscow before moving
here three months ago.

Serbian: 
tačno u doba kada je Sovjetski Savez,
narod samoproklamovanih ateista,
počeo da se urušava,
i religija je postala
prihvatljiva tema za diskusiju
u Rusiji.
Ubrzo je počeo da piše
Poslednji zavet,
dvanaestotomni nastavak,
u nekom smislu, Novog zaveta,
koji zalazi u detaljeosnovne dogme ove religije
i daje odgovore
na neka od ovozemaljskih pitanja,
kao što je koji prašak za veš
treba da se koristi.
Neki ih smatraju
opasnom sektom,i priča se
da Visarion
i njegovi sledbenici veruju u vanzemaljce,
misle da je samoubistvo sasvim u redu
i veruju da je kraj sveta
prilično blizu.
Upozorili su me
da ovde postoje određena pravila,
nema psovanja, duvana,
alkohola, ni mesa.
Mislim da je sve veganski.
Moraću da pazim šta pričam,
jer imam pogan jezik,
i volim meso,
ponekad volim da se drogiram.
Ovde nema ničeg
od toga,pa će mi prijati
da malo apstiniram.
Pozvala me je ovamo jedna
od najnovijih preobraćenica,
dvadesetčetvorogodišnjakinja
Tamriko

Serbian: 
koja je bila advokatica u Moskvi
pre nego što se
pre tri meseca preselila ovamo.
Sada radi
u „Nemačkoj kući“,
koja je neka vrsta gostinjske kuće
za duhovno radoznale.
Ispričaj mi ukratko kako si se obrela ovde?
Kada sam prvi put čula za učitelja,
oborio me je s nogu.
Bilo je kao da je ovo
jedini izvor svih informacija,
i svih odgovora.
I ovo je pravi učitelj istine o svetu.
Ponekada su ti potrebni odgovori,
Osećaš da...Samo su ti potrebni...
-Odgovori.
I neko ti sve objasni.
Objasniće ti tvoj život, zašto nešto radiš,
zašto imaš određene probleme,
probleme sa zdravljem, probleme u životu,
i koja je uopšte svrha
tvog postojanja.
Shvatam. I jedna od stvari koje mnogi pričaju je
da je ovo sekta.
Šta ti misliš o tome?
To ima veoma lošu konotaciju.
Ne, ne mislim ništa
o tome.
Znaš li zašto? Jer mislim da
ako neki ljudi shvate
da taj čovek može da im pomogne.
-I žele da se mole toj osobi, zašto to ne bi činili?
U redu.
-Zašto ne? To je veoma dobro.

English: 
She now works the German House,
a sort of guest house
for the spiritually curious.
Why don't you give me a little
history of how you got here?
TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: When I first
heard about the teacher,
it was me like this kind
of thing that-- wow.
It was like, this is the only
source of all information, of
all answers, and this is a
real teacher of the truth
about the world.
And so--
ROCCO CASTORO: Something
feels--
TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: And sometimes
you need answers.
You need, just, answers.
ROCCO CASTORO: Answers, yeah.
TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: And somebody
will explain you,
like, everything.
He will explain your life.
Why are you doing this.
Why you have some problems--
problems with your health,
problems with your life.
For what purpose, actually,
you are living.
ROCCO CASTORO: I see.
And one of the things that a
lot of people have said is
like, oh, it's a cult.
You know?
How do you feel about that?
It has a bad connotation.
TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: Usually,
I don't think
anything about this.
Do you know why?
Because I think that if some
people find that this person
can help them, and they
want to pray to
this person, why not?
ROCCO CASTORO: OK, yeah.
TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: Why
not, it's very good.
ROCCO CASTORO: Is there anything
that you perhaps

Serbian: 
Postoji li nešto kod toga
sa čime se možda
ne slažeš?
Ovde, i sa ovim učenjima, i...
Ne. Ne. Ne.
-Ne. U redu.
Neslaganje sa Visarionovim učenjima je
veoma retko,
što je postalo veoma očigledno
kada sam upoznao Tanju,
upravnicu
lokalne škole za žensku decu,
mesta na kojem se mlade dame uče disciplini,
kako je to ona formulisala.
Da li je deo nastavnog plana
ostavljen za proučavanje učiteljevog dela?
Devojke ovde uče
kako da žive u međusobnom miru.
Takođe uče
kako da se ponašaju prema muškarcima.
To je ključni segment
našeg obrazovanja.
Objašnjavamo devojkama
da je muškarac stvoritelj.
On je gospodar.
On mora da podigne kuću
i bavi se teškim poslovima.
Zbog toga dečaci i devojčice
idu u školu odvojeno.
Imate li neke devojčice
jakog karaktera,
koje se možda opiru
takvom načinu razmišljanja?

English: 
disagree with here, with--
TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE: Here?
ROCCO CASTORO: --the teaching.
With teachings, you know?
TAMRIKO DGEBUADZE:
No, no, no, no.
ROCCO CASTORO: OK.
Disagreeing with Vissarion's
teachings is rare, which
became very apparent after
meeting Tanya, a patron of the
local girls school--
a place where young ladies go to
learn "the discipline," as
she put it.
Is part of the lesson
plan set aside for
study of the teacher?
TANYA DENISOVA:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: So, do you ever
have strong girls that maybe
resist, and they're not so with
that line of thinking?

Serbian: 
Kada se žena ponaša kao vođa
i preuzima
odgovornosti muškarca,
to dovodi do nesklada.
Ako odbaci ova pravila,
izlaže se riziku po svoje zdravlje.
Sklad će je kazniti
nekom ženskom bolešću.
Hvala vam.
-Vrati nam se, i dovedi ćerku
u našu školu.
Dovedi devojku.
Napravićemo od nje najbolju moguću
pomoćnicu za tebe.
Koliko god da je ispiranje mozga
moje devojke,
koje bi od nje napravilo
robinju mizoginije
zvučalo primamljivo, morao sam da se
uspnem uz planinu i da se sretnem sa božanstvom.
Pozvan sam da proslavim
praznik dobrih plodova
u boravištu Zora,
u zajednici na vrhu planine
gde Visarion i njegovi najbliži sledbenici
žive.
Zastao sam kod radnje meštovite robe
da se snabdem za uspon.
Posle 40 sati puta, mogu da se luksuziram,
i pojedem sladoled na štapiću.
Snabdeli smo se zalihama
za dva dana, i sada se častim

English: 
TANYA DENISOVA:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
TANYA DENISOVA:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: As tempting as
brainwashing my girlfriend
into misogynistic slavery
sounded, I had mountains to
climb and deities to meet.
I had been invited to celebrate
the Holiday of Good
Fruits at the Abode of Dawn, a
small mountaintop community
where Vissarion and his closest
followers live.
I stopped at the general store
to get supplies for the hike.
So I have the luxury, after a
40-hour trip, of eating a CCC
pop, We just bought provisions
for two days.
This is kind of the
treat before--
I don't even know if
I'm supposed to be
eating this, to be honest.

Serbian: 
pre nego što... ne znam ni da li bih smeo
ovo da jedem,
da vam pravo kažem. Ne znam kakav je
Visarionov stav po pitanju slatkiša i
ledenih polastica,
ali vruće je, pa...
Ukrcao sam se u kombi iz doba Sovjetskog saveza,
i krenli smo uzbrdo po džombastom putu.
Imamo dobru ekipu, koja se jednostavno materijalizovala
ovde, u podnožju planine.
Izgleda da smo
spremni za pokret.
Moji saputnici su došli
iz Nemačke, Slovenije, Švedske,
i šire,
svi prepuni nade da će makar i na trenutak
ugledati neuhvatljivog Visariona.
Usput sam
upoznao Mačeka,
studenta iz Poljske.
Šta si došao
ovde da tražiš?
Došao sam da shvatim
o čemu se radi.
Rekli su mi da oni
međusobno razmenjuju žene.
Rekli su mi da će ljudi ovde
da mi pomute mozak,
i da možda nikada
neću otići odavde.

English: 
I don't know what Vissarion's
stance is on
candy and ice pops.
But it's hot, so.
Mmm.
I climbed into a Soviet-era
bread loaf and begin the bumpy
drive up the hill.
And we've got a good crew, just
materialized here at the
base of the mountain.
Looks like we're about
ready to go.
My hiking companions had
traveled from Germany,
Slovenia, Sweden, and beyond,
all in hopes of catching even
a glimpse of the elusive
Vissarion.
MALE SPEAKER 1:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Along the way,
I met Maciek, a university
student from Poland.
What did you come
here seeking?
ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH].
We made it to what appeared to
be a border crossing, and the
attendant took down
our details.

English: 
MALE SPEAKER 2:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Yes.
Our guide, Nina, led me to the
place where I'd be staying for
the next two nights--
the home of a lovely Russian
family who immediately offered
me cold vegetable
soup and bread.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Vissarion's
serene gaze watched over us as
we ate our blessed meal,
spiritually charging us for
the upcoming nighttime
liturgy.
We're going to go see what
worship is like here.
I feel like I'm kind of in a
different world, to be honest.
[SINGING IN RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: The pre-holiday
liturgy didn't seem too
different from a
Christian Mass.
But I would come to find out
that things weren't that
simple here.
Still, all the followers had
been very pleasant so far.
Only a few seemed to have the
crazy stare of a cult member.
I ran into Maciek and asked him
how he was settling in.
So how have the accommodations
been?
MACIEJ RAFINSIC: What
accommodations--
very, very well.
I met nice people.

Serbian: 
Došli smo do nečega što liči
na granični prelaz,
i službenik nam je
uzeo podatke.
Roko?
Iz Amerike, je li?
Da.
Naš vodič Nina, odvela me je na mesto
gde ću naredne dve noći spavati.
Dobrodošli.
Dom jedne divne ruske porodice,
koji su mi smesta ponudili
hladnu supu od povrća i hleb.
Hrana je blagoslovena.
Prijatno.
Prorokov spokojan pogled nas je pazio
dok smo jeli blagosloveni obrok.
Duhovnost nam je dala energiju
za nastupajuću noćnu liturgiju.
Videćemo kako ovde
slave boga.
Osećam se kao da sam
u nekom drugom svetu, da budem iskren.
Pretpraznična liturgija
nije delovala previše drugačije od hrišćanske mise,
ali ubrzo ću otkriti
da stvari ovde nisu tako jednostavne.
Ipak, sledbenici su do sada
bili veoma ljubazni.
Svega nekoliko njih je imalo ludački pogled
pripadnika sekte.
Naišao sam na Mačeka, i pitao ga
kako se smestio.
Kakav ti je smeštaj?

Serbian: 
Smeštaj je veoma dobar.
Upoznao sam fine ljude,
lepo smo razgovarali.
Onda su me pitali kada sam
prihvatio učitelja
i njegovo učenje. Kada sam im rekao
da u stvari nisam njegov sledbenik,
nastupio je minut tišine, sekunda tišine,
i bilo mi je malo neprijatno,
ali su to prebrodili.
Ali mislim da su bili
pomalo razočarani.
U redu.
Oduzeli su nam pasoše.
Jesi li malo zabrinut
zbog toga?
Jesam.
To je, ono kao, znaš.
Ne želim da imam problema,
ali došlo smo na mesto koje je veoma daleko.
od bilo kog mesta na svetu.
Došao si kod ljudi
koji su poznati kao članovi sekte.
Nekakve religiozne grupe,
da se tako izrazim.
Onda ti oduzmu pasoš,

English: 
We had a nice conversation.
And then they asked me, when did
I accept the teacher and
his teachings.
And I said, well, I'm not
really a follower.
And then there was, like,
a minute of silence--
second of silence.
And it felt uneasy.
But they got over it.
But I think they felt a
little disappointed.
ROCCO CASTORO: [CHUCKLE], OK.
And are you--
they have our passports.
MACIEJ RAFINSIC: I know.
ROCCO CASTORO: [INAUDIBLE].
Are you a little concerned
about that?
MACIEJ RAFINSIC: I am.
It's like, you know--
yeah, so I don't want to be
insulting, but you come to the
place which is far away from
anywhere in the world.
You come to people who are known
to be members of a cult,
of a religious group of--
ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH]
MACIEJ RAFINSIC: --of
some sort, now.
Let's put it like this.
And then they take your
passport away
straight when you--
ROCCO CASTORO: And they
were pretty--

English: 
MACIEJ RAFINSIC: They are pretty
persistent about that.
ROCCO CASTORO: Yeah.
Physically and spiritually
exhausted from my long
journey, I turned in for the
night to rest up for the
Holiday of Good Fruits and our
first glimpse of Vissarion.
MALE SPEAKER 3:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Today is August
18, which is the high holy day
of the year-- the Holiday of
Good Fruits, the Church of the
Last Testament's most
important holiday.
Basically, it's their Easter.
It was on this day in 1990 when
Vissarion first realized
his divine connection to God
and established his church.
It's the reason that thousands
of Vissarionites from around
the world have gathered
here today.

Serbian: 
i zakopan si tu.
Kada si...
I bili su prilično, prilično...
Istrajni u tome.
Fizički i psihički iscrpljen
od dugog putovanja,
legao sam da se odmorim
za praznik dobrih plodova,
i trenutak kada ću po prvi put
ugledati Visariona.
Danas je 18. avgust,
najsvetiji dan
u godini.
Dan dobrih plodova.
Najbitniji praznik
Crkve Poslednjeg zaveta.
U suštini, to je njihov Uskrs.
Na taj dan 1990. godine,
Visarion je prvi put otkrio
svoju božansku povezanost sa bogom,
i osnovao svoju crkvu.

English: 
MALE SPEAKER 3:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: We began our
ritualistic procession up the
mountain, a five-hour
journey replete
with ceremonial washing--
that felt good--
mood music, and supremely
positive vibes.
[SINGING IN RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Looking back, I
think it was supposed to serve
as a sort of mental palate
cleanser for what lay ahead.
Up the mountain we go.
Part of the reason I wanted
to come here--
the world seems to be in a
pretty bad way right now.
This seems to be an idyllic
community, so maybe Vissarion
has some answers for
us on how we could
better live our lives.
Or maybe he's just
got it right, and
people should come here.
They're actually pretty
good musicians.
Oh wow, beautiful.

Serbian: 
Zato se ovde danas okupilo
na hiljade Visarionaca
iz svih krajeva sveta.
Hoćete li proći kroz kapiju?
Krenuli smo u ritualnoj povorci uz planinu,
i pet sati kasnije,
osvežili se ritualnim umivanjem.
Ovo je prijalo.
Muzika atmosfere.
Neverovatno pozitivne vibracije.
Kada sada razmislim, mislim da je to trebalo
da posluži za čišćenje mentalnih „nepca“
za ono što je trebalo da usledi.
Idemo uzbrdo.
Jednim delom sam ovde došao
i zbog toga što mi izgleda
da je trenutno stanje u svetu
veoma loše.
Ovo mi izgleda
kao idealna zajednica,
I možda Visarion ima neke odgovore,
i može da nam pomogne da poboljšamo svoje živote.
Možda je on sve pravilno shvatio.
I ljudi treba da dođu ovde.
Imaju neke baš dobre muzičare.

Serbian: 
Divno.
Imam jednog drugara
u onoj rupi.
Gleda nas, izgleda vemo iznenađeno,
širom otvorenih očiju.
Stajemo ispred.
Nešto mi se dogodilo dok sam hodao uz planinu.
Da li sam iskusio
inicijalnu fazu indoktrinacije?
Sve izgleda tako lepo,
i ljudi deluju veoma srećno.
Poželeo sam
da sam više nalik njima.
Slava, još jedan od brojnih vodiča
i organizatora,
nije želeo da mi promakne lokacija
na kojoj je Visarion
bukvalno ostavio svoj trag u majci prirodi.
Učitelj je došao po prvi put na ovu planinu,
stavio ruke na taj kamen,
i kada smo okrenuli kamen,
videli smo ovo slovo.
To je prvo slovo njegovog imena.

English: 
I found a little friend in this
hole here, watching us.
He looks very surprised,
like us.
Wide-eyed.
Stopping again for
another hymn.
Something happened to me while I
was walking up the mountain.
Was I experiencing the initial
stages of indoctrination?
Everything looked
so beautiful.
And the people seemed
so happy.
I began to wish that I could
be more like them.
Slava, another in a long line of
guides/minders, didn't want
me to miss the site where the
site where Vissarion literally
left his mark on
mother nature.
SLAVA TKACHENKO: The teacher,
when the first time on this
mountain, take your hands
on this stone.
And after we turned the stone,
we see this letter, it was the
first letter of his name--
Jesus.

English: 
In Russia, kha, letter kha.
You may see it.
ROCCO CASTORO: Yeah,
we should see.
Is it OK for me to touch?
SLAVA TKACHENKO: Russian kha.
ROCCO CASTORO: Kha.
SLAVA TKACHENKO: Christos.
In English, Jesus.
ROCCO CASTORO: Christos.
It's there.
[NERVOUS LAUGH]
While the rest of the followers
gathered around the
stage where Vissarion would soon
give his sermon, Slava
took us to visit the monastery
for young boys.
A trampoline.
[LAUGH]
SLAVA TKACHENKO: For jumping.
ROCCO CASTORO: I'll jump.
[LAUGH]
NINA: Andrei is the master
of those boys.
ROCCO CASTORO: Of
all the boys.
Why do you live here?
Why did you come here?
ANDREI ANATOLEVICH:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: We sat down with
17-year-old Ivan, who,
among other things, was learning
the "masculine

Serbian: 
Hristos.Na ruskom je to „H“.
-Možeš da vidiš
-Daj da vidim.
Smem li da ga dodirnem?
Hristos., Isusovo ime.
-Hristos.
Tu je.
Pristalice su se okupljale
oko pozornice
na kojoj će Visarion uskoro
održati propoved.
Slava nas je odveo u manastir
za mlade momke.
Trambolina.
Skoči.
Skočiću.
Andrej je upravitelj
za te dečake.
Svim dečacima.
Zašto živiš ovde?
Zašto si došao ovde?
Učitelj mi je pokazao svet
za koji sam uvek mislio da postoji
i tražio ga da bih živeo u njemu.
Shvatio sam da svet o kojem sam sanjao
nije samo fantazija.
On je stvarnost
koju možeš da stvoriš.
To je mesto na kojem
se ostvaruju tvoji snovi.
Uvek sam sanjao o tome da živim na brdu
u blizini prelepog jezera,
i da svoja znanja prenosim
na buduće generacije.

Serbian: 
Seli smo
sa sedamneastogodišnjakom Ivanom,
koji, između ostalog,
uči da radi teške poslove.
Radi sa mašinskim alatom.
I opremom koju pokreće plin.
Koliko dugo živiš ovde
u manastiru?
Dve godine.
Dve godine.
I kako ti se dopada ovde?
Veoma mi se dopada.
Šta najviše voliš da radiš tokom dana?
Da budem od pomoći drugima.
Da li planiraš da uskoro
zasnuješ porodicu?
Naravno.
Imaš li možda neku devojku
u vidu koja bi mogla da ti postane žena?
Ne.
U redu, dosta je,
prestajemo.
Hvala ti.
Nema na čemu.
Divno.
Ovo je zadivljujuće

English: 
professions."
IVAN KOZLOVSKY:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: How long
have you been
living at the monastery?
IVAN KOZLOVSKY: Two years.
ROCCO CASTORO: Two years.
And how do like it?
IVAN KOZLOVSKY:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: What's your
favorite thing to
do during the day?
IVAN KOZLOVSKY:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Are
you planning on
starting a family soon?
IVAN KOZLOVSKY: [LAUGHING].
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
[LAUGHTER]
ROCCO CASTORO: Do you
have in mind a,
maybe, a potential wife?
No?
[LAUGH], OK.
That's it.
We'll stop there.
[RUSSIAN].
IVAN KOZLOVSKY:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH]
Beautiful.
Wow, that's amazing.
You can see they're clearing
out this side over here.

English: 
Perhaps to build more housing.
Their numbers are continually
growing.
I see why people stay, though.
It's very beautiful.
People who are interested in
joining the community and
living here, is there anything
that one must do to become
part of the community?
Or can you just come
and live here?
ANDREI ANATOLEVICH:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: If I moved here,
I'm an editor and a
writer, so, I'd have
to learn Russian.
But perhaps I could
help with that?
NINA: [LAUGH], You
will be welcome.
ANDREI ANATOLEVICH:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Hmm, a place
where negative characters
don't exist.
That sounded pretty
good to me.
Clean energy?

Serbian: 
Vidite kako raščišćavaju teren,
verovatno da bi
izgradili još kuća.
Sve ih je više i više.
Shvatam zašto ljudi ostaju ovde.
Veoma je lepo.
Ljudi koji su zainteresovani
da pristupe zajednici i žive ovde,
postoji li nešto što moraju da urade
da bi ih zajednica prihvatila,
ili jednostavno mogu da dođu
i žive ovde?
Samo treba da imaš želju
da dođeš ovde i da nađeš načina
da daš svoj doprinos, svojim razumevanjem,
veštinama, i time što si od pomoći.
Ja sam urednik i autor tekstova,
kada bih se preselio ovamo,
morao bih da naučim ruski,
ali možda bi tako mogao da pomognem.
Bio bi dobrodošao.
Posao pisca je
takođe fascinantan jer
mi težimo tome da stvorimo nova dela
u kojima negativni likovi neće postojati.
Hmm... Mesta u kojima negativci
neće postojati.

Serbian: 
To mi prilično dobro zvuči.
Ekološki izvori energija, zdrav život
neveste – device.
Počeo sam da se pitam da li je boravište Zora
moglo da bude pravo mesto za mene.
Povrediću se.
I konačno je došao trenutak
da uživo vidimo
i samog učitelja.
Svakog časa, Visarion će se spustiti
niz stepenice
i obratiti se okupljenima,
I kao što možete da vidite,
svi to željno iščekuju.
Nimalo ne sumnjam da oni veruju
da je on bog,
i zanimljivo je, a i pomalo zastrašujuće
gledati koliko mnogo ljudi
ima toliko vere
u jednog čoveka ili boga.

English: 
Healthy living?
Virgin brides?
I started wondering if the Abode
of Dawn could be that
place for me.
Here we go.
I'm going to hurt myself.
[LAUGHTER]
ROCCO CASTORO: And then,
finally, it was time for us to
get our first glimpse of
the teacher himself.
[SINGING IN RUSSIAN]
MALE SPEAKER 3: [SPEAKING
RUSSIAN OVER LOUDSPEAKER]
Any moment, now, Vissarion's
going to descend from the
stairs and address
everyone here.
And as you can see, everyone's
eagerly anticipating it.
I have not doubt in my mind that
they believe he is God.
And it's interesting and kind of
scary, too, to see so many
people have so much faith
in one man, or god.
MALE SPEAKER 3: [SPEAKING
RUSSIAN OVER LOUDSPEAKER]
[SINGING IN RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: We had traveled
thousands of miles to the

Serbian: 
Prešili smo hiljade kilometra
da bi stigli u ovu nedođiju u Sibiru,
da bismo videli kako se ovaj čovek,
Visarion, obraća svojoj pastvi
na praznik nečega što oni zovu
Dan dobrih plodova.
Bilo je malo sablasno.
Visarion sada silazi,
veoma polako,
veoma nalik Hristu.
I baš kada se Visarion spremao
da sa nama podeli
neke neporecive
bisere mudrosti,
naterali su nas da isključimo kameru.
Posle kratke i tihe propovedi,
Visarion je blagoslovio hleb
koji je zajednica umesila za nastupajuću gozbu,
i oprostio se
od pristalica.

English: 
middle of nowhere in Siberia
to see this man, Vissarion,
address his congregation on what
they call the Holiday of
Good Fruits.
It was sort of spooky.
[WHISPERING]
Vissarion's making his way
down now, very slowly.
Very Christ-like.
[SINGING CONTINUES]
ROCCO CASTORO: And just as
Vissarion was about to share
some infallible nuggets
of wisdom--
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: --they made
us turn off the camera.
After giving a short sermon
in hushed tones, Vissarion
blessed bread made by the
community for the ensuing
feast and bid his followers
farewell.
CONGREGATION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

English: 
ROCCO CASTORO: So we just
have finished the
sermon with the teacher.
And Nina's going to translate
a little bit for
us of what was said.
NINA: I remember exactly
his first phrase--
"I'm glad that you still
survive." Because everybody
was laughing.
And then he spoke about that
we, all of us, are pupils--
ROCCO CASTORO: Pupils, yeah.
NINA: --in the school of life.
ROCCO CASTORO: "We are
all peoples in
the school of life"?
I guess that's true.
But I'm not sure it provided
me with any answers.
We're going to see if we can
interview some pilgrims.
Some people that came to see
Vissarion from afar.
What is your feelings
about Vissarion?
FEMALE SPEAKER 3:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Why did you make
the journey here today?
MALE SPEAKER 4:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

Serbian: 
Srećan praznik!
Srećan praznik!
I tako, upravo smo saslušali
učiteljevu propoved,
i Nina će nam prevesti
deo onoga što je rečeno.
Tačno se sećam
njegove prve rečenice:
drago mi je što ste opstali.
Svi su se nasmejali.
Onda je pričao o tome
Učenici, da.
da smo svi mi učenici...
Učenici, da.
...u školi života.
Mi smo učenici
u školi života?
Pretpostavljam da je tako, ali nisam
siguran da mi to daje odgovor na bilo koje pitanje.
Potrudićemo se da razgovaramo
još hodočasnika
koji su došli da vide Visariona.
Kakva su vaša osećanja
prema Visarionu?
On mi je prijatelj, pravi prijatelj.
On mi ispunjava život.

English: 
ROCCO CASTORO: How did you first
hear about the teacher?
MALE SPEAKER 5:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Compared
to years past,
does he seem happy?
Does he seem in good spirits?
MALE SPEAKER 6:
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: After the
liturgy, we ran into our
Polish friend, Maciek.
ROCCO CASTORO: How
do you feel?
I mean, do you feel that there's
something about him
that's beyond human?
MACIEJ RAFINSIC: I don't
want to insult anybody,
but I don't, no.
I feel it's an interesting
place and
an interesting person.
And I think these people
around me want
to live a good life.
And I do appreciate that.

Serbian: 
Zašto ste doputovali ovamo danas?
Jednostavno osećam
da mi je ovde mesto.
to mora da se oseti
da bi se razumelo.
To je nemoguće
izraziti rečima.
Kako ste prvi put čuli za učitelja?
Čitao sam o njemu u časopisu „Segun i sport“.
Iz članka je izbijala
velika snaga.
U poređenju sa proteklim godinama,
da li vam se čini da je srećan,
da li vam deluje raspoloženo?
Mislim da je na njega teško primeniti
naša normalna raspoloženja.
Imam osećaj da on ima svoje zasebno
stanje postojanja.
Iako stoji pored tebe,
imaš osećaj da je negde daleko.
Posle liturgije, naleteli smo na našeg
poljskog prijatelja Mačeka.
Kako se osećaš?
Mislim, imaš li osećaj
da kog njega
ima nečeg nadljudskog?
Ne želim nikoga da uvredim,
ali ne.
Mislim da je ovo zanimljivo mesto,
i on je zanimljiv čovek,
i mislim da ovi ljudi oko mene
žele da žive dobrim životom.

English: 
But I don't perceive
him as divine.
ROCCO CASTORO: After mingling
with some members of the
congregation, I headed to bed
to rest up for the next day
and my big interview
with Vissarion.
There's a lot of
stars tonight.
I was talking with Slava about
the beautiful and clear
nighttime sky, when he told me
that stars weren't the only
things up there.
ROCCO CASTORO: You've
seen UFOs?
ROCCO CASTORO: What
did it look like?
ROCCO CASTORO: Three spheres.
Yeah, OK.
ROCCO CASTORO: See it too?
The next morning, we got up
bright and early and took a
secret path to Vissarion's
home.
So we're finally here at
the teacher's house.
And we're going to interview a
man that many people believe
to be the word of god.
I suddenly became very
anxious about my
meeting with the teacher.
What if I actually had an
audience with someone who is

Serbian: 
I poštujem ga, ali
ga ne smatram božanstvom.
Posle druženja
sa vernicima,
otišao sam da legnem
i odmorim se za sutradan,
za moj veliki intervju
sa Visarionom.
Večeras se vidi mnogo zvezda.
Razgovarao sam sa Slavom
o predivnom i vedrom noćnom nebu,
kada mi je on rekao da na nebu
ima još nečega osim zvezda.
Ponekad ih viđamo.
Viđate NLO-e?
Ja sam ga jednom video.
Kako je izgledao?
Bio je veliki, u obliku trougla,
sa loptama na uglovima.
Tri lopte.
Tri lopte? Da. -U redu.
I drugi ljudi ih viđaju.
Sutradan smo ustali
u cik zore,
i tajnim putem krenuli
u Visarionov dom.
Konačno smo došli
u učiteljevu kuću,
i intervjuisaćemo čoveka za kojeg
mnogi ljudi veruju da je
reč Božja.
Iznenada sam postao veoma nervozan
zbog toga što ću da upoznam učitelja.

Serbian: 
Šta ako me zaista bude primio neko
ko je reč,
a možda i telo božje?
Roko.
[VISARION][MESIJA]
Zašto ste pristali na intervju sa mnom,
jer znam da ih niste davali,
prilično dugo?
Nisam siguran.
U redu.
Da li ste sada zažalili zbog toga?
Želim da mi pričate o Rusiji.
Da li je bila podudarnost i slučajnost
to što je ova zajednica nastala
u isto vreme se Sovjetski savez raspao?
To nije bila podudarnost.
U to vreme je trebalo ponovo da se uspostavi
sloboda veroispovesti.
U suprotnom bi bilo teško osnovati zajednicu.
Veličanstvene promene u društvu su
bile od suštinskog značaja za rušenje
temelja verovanja iz navike.
Čovek mora da oseti glad za svetom istinom,
i da onda ode da je traži.

English: 
the word, and perhaps
flesh, of god?
[INAUDIBLE]
Why did you agree to an
interview with me?
Because I know that you haven't
for quite a bit.
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH]
Are you regretting it now?
OK.
I want to know about Russia.
Was it a coincidence, or was it
just happenstance that this
community came to be around the
same time as the fall of
the Soviet Union?
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: I think I
understood what he was saying.

Serbian: 
Mislim da sam razumeo
šta je hteo da kaže.
Ali mučio sam se kako na taktičan način
da nekoga ko izgleda kao Hrist
pitam da li je sin Božji, a da to
ne izgovorim direktno.
Vaš izgled je
veoma nalik Hristovom.
Pitaću to ovako;
imate li sećanja na Hrista,
od pre 2000 godina?
Da li vi nastavljate tu lozu?
Postoje svesna
i nesvesna sećanja.
Besmisleno je očuvati telo
sa identičnim umom.
Identitet se oblikuje
u skladu sa vremenom
kada je potrebno
da se pojavi na Zemlji u fizičkom obliku.
Pošto za time ne postoji
stalna potreba,
periodi između
ponovnog pojavljanja bivaju dugi.
Ovo je verovatno nešto najbliže
pozitivnom odgovoru što ću izvući od njega.
Izgleda da u svetu
ima mnogo nemira i potresa,

English: 
But I was struggling with how
to tactfully ask someone who
looks like Jesus if he's the Son
of God without coming out
and saying it.
You're very Christ-like
in your appearance.
I'll say it this way-- do you
have memories of Christ from
2,000 years ago?
Do you carry on in that
way, in that lineage?
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: That's probably
as close to a yes as I was
going to get.
It seems like the world is--
there's lots of riots.
There's uprisings.
Is the turmoil and conflict in
the world right now worse than

English: 
you've experienced?
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Was Vissarion
talking about Armageddon?
Naturally, I was curious as
to when that might happen.
Is that coming soon?
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: Talk about
dancing around the subject.
I switched gears, and,
remembering Slava's
extraterrestrial encounter,
asked him about the church's
stance on what they call
"the outer space mind."
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

Serbian: 
ustanaka.
Jesu li haos i sukobi
u svetu sada gori
od onih koje ste iskusili?
Potvrđeno je da 80 odsto
ljudske populacije
pati od ozbiljnih
mentalnih problema.
Ali ti ljudi
u rukama drže oružje.
To se sve više širi.
Zbog toga će psihološke eksplozije prvo doći
na mestima na kojima boravi slabije stanovništvo.
Govori li Visarion
o Sudnjem danu?
Prirodno, zanimalo me je
kada bi to moglo da se dogodi.
Hoće li do toga doći uskoro?
Teško je izmeriti vreme.
Poželjnije je da haosu koja ljudska civilizacija
demonstrira sa tolikim žarom
uskoro dođe kraj.
Baš okoliša
po ovom pitanju.
Promenio sam temu, setivši se
Slavinog susreta sa vanzemaljcima,
i pitao sam ga
kakav je stav crkve o onome
što oni zovu
Um iz dalekog svemira.
Umovi dalekog svemira
nemaju dušu.
Tehnološki napredak je za njih
prirodni oblik razvoja.

English: 
ROCCO CASTORO: I have to admit,
Vissarion lost me
somewhere in between the end
times and soulless aliens.
Still, I could see how his
followers could really get
into this stuff.
It's a hell of a lot more
interesting than Adam and Eve
and the crucifixion.
The teacher's handlers
signalled that it was
time to wrap up.
But I was determined to slip
in a few simple questions
that, with any luck, would
be answered in a
straightforward manner.
How about food.
What's your favorite
dish to eat?
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: A man
without penchant--
which apparently extended to
answering questions in a
fashion that I could
understand.
But this was my last shot.
At the very least, maybe I could
glean something about

Serbian: 
Vrhunac razvoja ljudske civilizacije
i trenutak sudbonosnog izbora
bi trebalo da se dogode simultano
sa transformacijom geografske
strukture Zemlje.
Moram da priznam, Visarion je izgubio
moju pažnju negde između
poslednjih dana
i bezdušnih vanzemaljaca.
Ipak, mogao sam da razumem
kako to može da privuče njegove sledbenike.
Ovo je mnogo interesantnije
od Adama i Eve,
i od raspeća.
Učiteljevi pomoćnici su signalizirali
da je vreme da završavamo.
Ali ja sam bio rešen
da provučem nekoliko jednostavnih pitanja,
na koja ću, uz malo sreće,
dobiti direktne odgovore.
Šta je sa hranom?
Koje vam je omiljeno jelo?
Bilo bi mi teško da kažem nešto
što biste vi razumeli.
Ja stvari tumačim drugačije.
Čovek bez sklonosti
koji je, izgleda, morao da se pomuči
da odgovara na pitanja
tako da ja razumem odgovore.

English: 
the purity of my own being.
Just meeting me briefly,
can you tell me
anything about myself?
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: [LAUGH]
I'd say--
So last question.
If you could tell one piece of
advice that our viewers here
could follow relatively easily,
what would it be?
VISSARION: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
ROCCO CASTORO: OK.
I'm not sure if I was supposed
to or not, but there is no way
I was leaving without a photo.
So I hopped right in there.
[RUSSIAN].
So we've finished our journey
here, and going back to New
York City, and pollution,
and terrible people.

Serbian: 
Ali ovo mi je bila
poslednja šansa.
Mogao bih makar malo
da ušićarim i saznam nešto
o čistoti sopstvenog bića.
Tek smo se upoznali, ali možete li
da mi kažete nešto o meni?
Mogu da osetim osobu,
ali ne mogu da definišem svojstva.
Nedefinisana su.
Sve zavisi od toga
šta želite da čujete.
I poslednje pitanje: Kada biste mogli
da date neki savet
koje bi naši gledaoci
mogli da poslušaju relativno lako,
šta bi to bilo?
Ne pokušavajte da budete superiorni
prema ljudima koji vas okružuju.
Takve namere
vode u smrt.
U redu.
Nisam bio siguran
da li je primereno,
ali nije bilo šanse da odem
bez zajedničke fotografije.
Tako da sam
jednostavno uskočio.
Našem boravku ovde je
došao kraj.
Vraćam se u Njujork,

English: 
In other words, all the things
that I find weirdly
comforting.
What can I say?
I'm a man of modern
convenience.
But if it ever gets too much
for me, if the scum of
humanity becomes so sticky and
viscous that I can't scrub it
off, I know there's a place
where I can drop
out and be at peace.
And the next time someone
complains to me that
everything sucks, or our
problems are unsolvable, I'll
just tell them--
there's this place you can go
in Siberia where they'll
accept you with open arms.
A place where the children run
free, where the earth provides
everything you need.
And where money--
[SINGING IN RUSSIAN]

Serbian: 
zagađen i pun groznih ljudi.
Drugim rečima, svim onim stvarima koje
smatram utešnim, na neki uvrnuti način.
Šta da vam kažem,
ja sam čovek sklon modernim pogodnostima.
Ali ako mi ikada bude dozlogrdilo,
ako ljudski šljam i opakost
postanu toliko lepljivi
da više ne mogu
da ih sastružem sa sebe,
Znam da postoji mesto na kojem
mogu da se izgubim, i živim u miru.
I sledeći put kada mi se neko požali
da je sve sranje,
ili da su naši problemi nerešivi,
jednostavno ću im ispričati.
U Sibiru postoji jedno mesto
na koje možete da odete, i gde će vas
prihvatiti raširenih ruku.
Mesto gde deca slobodno trčkaraju,
gde zemlja daje
sve što je potrebno.
