AllMovie

A heroic Soviet past and a destitute post-industrial present make the provincial Russian town of Yelnya in Russia susceptible to the Kremlin's aggressive anti-Western propaganda, leading to the militarization of society from kindergarten to pension age. With few exceptions, Yelnyans raise their children to become good patriots. They don’t mind the eerie, all-encompassing militarization of society. Filmed over three years, this film introduces Western viewers to the people who admire Vladimir Putin's mission to make Russia great again. Yelnya has remained economically marginalized ever since the Soviet Union collapsed, but people believe that President Putin is bringing back glory and power to the Russian nation.