Crocodile Gennadiy

R

Released May 20, 2016

1h 40m

Documentary

TRAILER

for Almost Holy: Trailer 1

List

98%

44 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Pastor Gennadiy Mokhnenko takes homeless, drug-addicted children off the streets of Mariupol, Ukraine.

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Critics Consensus

Almost Holy offers a close-up look at a fascinating figure whose controversial work and extraordinary story pack the narrative punch of a well-written drama.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Steve Hoover's film makes for a sympathetic,yet quietly critical portrait. John Pope's dark lensing and Atticus Ross's score add to the sense of unease and intrigue.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 27, 2016

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

Almost Holy is a deeply disturbing and shocking documentary portrait of life at its lowest ebb.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 22, 2016

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

This gripping documentary about Gennadiy Mokhnenko, aka Pastor Crocodile, a controversial child-welfare activist in Ukraine, has the propulsive power and arc of a drama.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 21, 2016

Full Review

Ian Brill

Battleship Pretension

Almost Holy shows the audience the true efforts and cost of heroism but also, with a truly charismatic character in Mokhnenko, the heart.

Apr 13, 2021

Full Review

Morgan Rojas

Cinemacy

Almost Holy... is a stunning cinematic portrayal of one man's mission to save, but it is hard to stomach (literally).

Aug 6, 2018

Full Review

Brad Keefe

Columbus Alive

Almost Holy is bleak, but ultimately hopeful, and wholly fascinating. Documentary fans should take note.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 31, 2016

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john s

A Ukraine is a hellhole, and here's just one seedy look at what's going on. Steve Hoover's no-nonsense documentary puts the cameras on pastor Gennadiy Mokhenko, a bigger than life, mountain of a man who dishes out tough love to the street kids of Maripul. These kids live in the sewers. They are castoffs. They are junkies. Crocodile Gennadiy, as he is called, takes them in - sometimes to his rehabilitation centre, sometimes right into his expansive family. There's no sweet talk to the kids, the dealers, the abusers, the implicit pharmacists. No one is spared. Shot in beautiful green and blue shades by John Pope, "Almost Holy" brings a jarring aesthetic to the real life horrors on screen. It's a disturbing film documenting a superhero single-handedly wrestling a catastrophe, and often winning. It answers one of life's toughest questions: "what can I possibly do?" Quite a bit as it turns out. - hipCRANK

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Real life superhero stuff!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Shane S

A compelling character study into a gritty modern day Saint in the Ukraine. A film that really studies the true nature of moral vigilante justice and the costs of its deliverance. This is not simply a singular quest to avenge a wrong in a fireworks display of violence and satiation, but a life's mission to confront the moral and social failing of a deeply damaged society and the toll that mission takes on the man. The film is well shot and beautifully captures the gray depressing sights of Mariupol. Ominous smoke stacks burn perpetually in the background alongside shattered and neglected school yards, a glimpse into the priorities of the social order. Everyone is generally content to empower this pastor to continue his work and only mildly criticize his vigilante nature, but little is done to combat the systemic cause of all the suffering. The tone of the film is relentless in its despair and offering only brief glimmers of hope. The somber message is, however, delivered with subtlety, so the film is not overly weighed down to the point of being despondent. I think the best way to describe the film is that there is taint to all of the work the pastor must complete that is echoed in the filming and subtle recurring themes showcased. This really highlights the unspoken burden and toll of being a person who goes beyond the law to right wrongs. There is no particular clean glory in being a true moral vigilante. Stylized vengeance is a cheap moment, a life filling the void of ordered society is a different sort of justice. It is darker and much more unsettling. There is a tendency to aggrandize and sanctify the business of helping the truly downtrodden, it is referred to as a holy or wholly pure activity. The title of the film is well chosen in that it captures the real nature of moral vigilantism as exemplified by the character being studied. There is an interesting recurring theme with water and ritual cleansing that really develops the film's message and the pastor's life. Despite all the water and ritual, the unsettling taint of forces that necessitate his work are never fully washed away. There is no way to "fully clean one's soul", Genniady notes in the film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/20/16

Full Review

Audience Member

a strong determined man giving those in need, likevstreet kids, a home, love, family, and a future. we can all learn what it is to be a man from his example.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is a powerful true story of a man who decided to battle the evil around him. Amazing work

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

SOOO good!! Can't wait to see this again tomorrow before it hits theaters! http://bit.ly/2016WS_CG

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

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Almost Holy: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Pastor Gennadiy Mokhnenko takes homeless, drug-addicted children off the streets of Mariupol, Ukraine.

Director: Steve Hoover
Producer: Terrence Malick, Nicolas Gonda, Michael Killen, Kathy Dziubek, Jim Kreitzburg
Distributor: The Orchard
Production Co: Animal
Rating: R (Sexual References|Disturbing Content|Language|Drugs and Alcohol)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 20, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 16, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.7K
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS

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