Production Design
In the center of the plot is the Vatican list of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the main Orthodox shrine of Kazan. The film describes four layers of Russian history: the liberation of Moscow by the militia of Minin and Pozharsky, the battle of Poltava, the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War. During all these events, the Orthodox inhabitants of Tatarstan turned to their protector, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, for help. It is believed that the icon was carried away in 1611 by the Kazan militia and later helped Minin and Pozharsky liberate Moscow from the Poles.
Production Design
Alina and Ruslan live in Moscow, but their mother Alsu, a successful businesswoman, came from Tatarstan. When her father dies in the faraway village Achasary, the three of them go to visit their relatives. In the Tatar village, everything is new to the children accustomed to the life in a megalopolis: the village everyday life, chickens and cows, Muslim customs, a language they don’t know. Gradually, they become aware of a great conflict in their mother’s family: Alsu’s father chased her away from home, and she has been in quarrel with her own brother Timur for ten years. The conflict becomes worse, the ambience in the village home starts getting tense. Luckily, the kids form a wonderful relation with the beautiful Leysan, the new wife of Uncle Timur.
