The Russian faith-based movie Chudo, dubbed The Miracle in English, is a little known jewel by director Aleksandr Proshkin. It is said to be based on a real life incident that happened in a Russian town of the Samara region in the mid-1950s.
The miracle in question is the mind-blowing case of a young woman who would not listen to her mother, a pious woman of faith, and trash religious traditions and objects of faith. One winter evening, she had a party at her house with a number of young men and women invited for having fun. Her mother sat outside so as not to witness the sinful acts of the group. When the young hostess didn’t find any guy to dance with her, she picked up an icon of St. Nicholas as her dance – and in a flash of lightning, it froze her onto the wooden floor like a statue in a dancing pose.
What makes the story of Chudo significant and interesting is not only the alleged historicity of the incident but its impact on the townsfolk and the authorities. In the communist Soviet period, religious expression was not allowed in the country. The news of a spiritual sensation implied potential disruption of the official narrative that rejected faith. The authorities accordingly acted to suppress or debunk the wonder of a woman frozen beyond scientific explanation. The resolution by another act of faith only furthered the potential embarrassment for those controlling the voice and sentiment of the public. In the privacy of their homes and hearts, however, people familiar with the girl’s story were compelled to revisit their own denials and loyalties to the state.
Chudo is a movie that validates Christian faith and an audience that cares about the spiritual realm. If political biases could be put aside, the movie would deserve a remake or adaptation in the west.
