The Russian film tells the story of a young girl and her life in an orphanage after her father, a priest, is captured by Soviets, therefore representative of Jesus’ capture and betrayal by Judas in the Gospel of John. The film, Seraphima’s Extraordinary Adventures, features a young Christain girl living in an orphanage in 1943 in a time when communists were oppressing Russia and persecuting Christains. Seraphima is the daughter of a priest who was taken away by Soviets and the church in which they worshiped was blown up and destroyed. During this time, Soviet authorities were brutally suppressing and pursecuting various forms of Christainity with the ultimate goal of eliminating Christain beliefs. The state officially denounced religious beliefs and declared them as superstitious and backward. Despite all of this, Seraphima remained faithful in her beliefs and to God and kept secret her most beloved piece of jewelry given to her by her mother- a cross. The scene where Seraphima’s father is arrested by the Soviets and the church is destroyed reminds me of Chapter 18 in the Gospel of John where Jesus is captured by soldiers. Jesus and his disciples were visiting a garden over the brook Cedron when Judas betrayed Jesus by leading a “band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees” to him (St. John 18:3). The band of men came with lanterns, torches, and weapons to bind Jesus and take him away. The violence and arrest of Jesus is represented in the film’s arrest, violence, and destruction of the Priest and the church. Unlike Judas, Seraphima remained loyal and faithful to God and did not betray Him. Also unlike Seraphima was Peter’s disloyal actions in denying his affiliation with Jesus several times when asked first whether or he was a disciple of Jesus (St. John 18: 25) and second whether or not he was the one who cut off the ear of one of the servants of the high priest (St. John 18:26).
In both the film, Seraphima’s Extraordinary Adventures and in Jesus capture in the Gospel of John chapter 18, the religious leaders (Seraphima’s father and Jesus) are regarded as criminals and it is the nonbelievers (the Soviets and the “band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees”) that cause destruction and persecution. Another difference, however, is how Jesus held complete power in his capture and crucifixion. Jesus also knew that this would happen and that his death was inevitable. In the film, even though Seraphima is faithful and her family may have been aware of the suppression of Christains prior to her father’s capture, they did not contain the same power that Jesus had in His situation.