FREEDOM IS PARADISE

Thirteen-year-old Sasha Grigoriev lives in a special school for difficult children. His mother has died, and his father, whom he has never met, is in prison. After learning the address of his father's prison, he breaks out of the school and sets off for the jail, thousands of miles away. After days of travel, he arrives at the jail. The warden is sympathetic to the story of Sasha's brave journey, and allows him to see his father for a day. Though father and son, their imprisonment makes them strangers to one another and to life. The love and hope they find together comes slowly, but is invincible. The film avoids sentiment, and is notable for its exceptional acting (and casting). Powerful, subtle, and rich, Bodrov's first feature was the winner of the Grand Prix at the 1989 Montreal World Film Festival.