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Synopsis
Up to 1940-s the island Mantsinsari belonged to Finland, in 1944 it joined Karelia. At that time all the Finns and
Karelians went to Finland. And the island was settled by special people who didn‘t fulfil their work quota, frankly speaking – the enemies of the system – the Russians, the Belarusians, the Ukrainians, the Tatars, the Estonians, and simply employers on a contract.
About 1500 people came; later on many of the island new involuntary settlers would never forgive this place for their broken destinies, after all. And when Khruschev became the leader – former enemies with their families were impetuously leaving their prison on the water. The people rushed home to their native land, just like flocks of birds after long and tiring wintering in a strange land. They left their lived-in places, their ecologically clean property and historical sightseeing – Finnish military objects of the beginning of the century. In time some died, some left. Only two have stayed – a Finn and a Belarusian – two Robinsons of Mantsinsari.
Only these two men didn‘t cope with the great power of attraction of their new small Motherland. Their youth passed on the island; they found the most beautiful Mantsinsari girls among 1500 inhabitants, got married, gave birth to 3 children each, brought them up, and let the children go away into a big world. The Finn buried his mother, sister and wife on the island. The wife of the Belarusian went to Karelian town Salmi – to civilization, and she seldom but visits him, he still calls her the most beautiful girl of the island.
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Matvey Kuylmyaluoma (in Finnish – Matti) is a Finn, he is 80, Alexey Kluynya is a Belarusian, he is 12 years younger. Strong and sharp wish not to see each other grows stronger year after year. And it‘s easy – the island is 12 km long and 5 km wide only. Though when meet they greet each other and quickly go separate ways. But very often Kluynya climbs a hill in excitement to see whether there‘s light in his neighbour‘s house, thank God still alive.
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Kluynya loves Belarus, dreams about it – he was born there, the tombs of his relatives are there, his sisters, nephews live there, that is his land…There‘s a book of Kupala on his table – a Belarusian poet, he teaches by heart his poems and dreams about hanging up the biggest Belarusian flag over his house. Then he says it will be his Belarusian paradise. The Island is paradise for Kluynya and he says: "I created my own paradise here, by my own hands". And Belarus is his utmost dream, the dream of his
life. Perhaps, that‘s why he doesn‘t go to his Motherland so as not to break the dream.
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Alexey Kluynya is a chasseur, and as it must be for every Belarusian holding a post there‘s a portrait of President Lukashenko in his house. And near the widow there‘s a tractor. He has big household on the island – 12 bears, dozens of wild boars and badgers. Visiting Finns, descendants of the islanders, call Kluynya – Alexey the Underground, and his tractor – local metro (as it‘s the only means of transport on the island). And more than once he caught Matvey poaching. People told the chasseur before – "You won‘t be calm until you stay alone". In fact so it goes, Kluynya is not calm while his neighbour and guests carry the threat of environment flora disappearance. He says:"I‘ll seat on the shore with a machine gun but I won‘t let to destroy the island".
Kluynya has his man Friday – faithful comrade, friend and as he says his brother. This is Pavel Pavlovich – a lecturer of chair of dentistry from Saint-Petersburg. Thirty years ago Kluynya arrested him for duck hunting, but let him go as he didn‘t find the gun. Pavel Pavlovich continued to visit the island and when Kluynya and Matti stayed alone, he came to see them several times a year. He brought a library to Kluynya, in the evenings with a bottle of cognac and at candle light (there‘s no electricity on the island) Kluynya and Pavel Pavlovich like to argue themselves hoarse about life and politics. Then pavlovich goes to Kluynya‘s bath-house and leaves for 3-4 months, and Kluynya misses and waits his brother Friday
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Matvey Matveevich Kuylmyaluoma respects Pavel Pavlovich, but don‘t consider him his brother and man Friday. He also doesn‘t consider himself a poacher, he‘s not going to destroy someone or something – he‘s not in the age, and his health is not so good. And in general, the Finns as well as the Belarusians are peaceful people. Sometime Matvey was a true sea-hunter (one on the island, he also went for the ringed seal hunting). But ringed seal hunting was prohibited in 1959 and Kuylmyaluoma became sad and started aging. He has no tractor, though he has all terrain vehicle "Buran" and hotbed with cucumbers and tomatoes, he‘s dreaming about finding the north seeds of water-melon and melon – somebody told them about them. The Finns often come to the island. They love Matvey greatly (like each Finn likes Finn) and they are proud of him, also they have much curiosity and interest about Kluynya and his tractor. Matvey don‘t like Kluynya‘s tractor. Once a month early in the morning Kluynya goes in his tractor along the main road of the island passing Matvey‘s house by, the trailer always rattles very loud and impedes to sleep. Matvey revenges Kluynya for that, calling him a "terrorist helper" when the guests are there. Matti doesn‘t speak Russian very well, but he speaks Finnish well though he has never been to Finland – his Finnish parents gave birth to him in Soviet city Murmansk, that‘s why Finland is also a dream for Matti, but in contrast with Kluynya he decided to go there. Also he wants Kluynya to make his dream come true – return to the Motherland, desirably forever.
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"After all I seem to live here alone" – says Matti – "he only bothers". Only Matti has nobody and no time to go to Finland, as he has his household to look after – a dog and hotbed, his favourite occupation is fishing, not poaching, just a bit for himself and his cat.
Our heroes are not big friends and don‘t like each other very much. Whereas Finns like this place and children and grandchildren of Kuylmyaluoma visit their father. But usually each is "being a Robinson" on the island alone.
They have one thing in common – both they are afraid of and don‘t understand the world which exists as parallel behind the territory of their kingdom Mantsinsari. This strange world frightfully grows and changes somewhere there, beyond the summit of their notion about life and their role in it.
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So they live, fellow-islandmen – the Belarusian and the Finn, two citizens of their small state, which will be called an inhabited island Mantsinsari while his beloved citizens Matti and Kluynya are alive.
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CONNECT______________________________________________
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Contact filmmaker
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FILMMAKER
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Volha Dashuk
Koltsov Str. 16–44 220090 Minsk Belarus
phone: +375 17 261 95 50 fax: +375 17 264 84 52
spadard@hotmail.com
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Victor Asliuk
Koltsov Str. 16–44 220090 Minsk Belarus
phone: +375 17 261 95 50 fax: +375 17 264 84 52
victorasliuk@hotmail.com
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