Veniamin, a teenager in the midst of a religious awakening, has his mother, schoolmates and entire high school turned upside down by his questions. Can girls go to their swimming classes in bikinis? Does sex education have a place in school? Should the theory of evolution be taught as part of the Natural Sciences? Veniamin finds his fanaticism empowering as he is able to manipulate those around him, and the adults are soon overwhelmed by the certitudes of the youngster who swears only by Scripture. No one but Elena, his biology teacher, will challenge him on his own ground. Kirill Serebrennikov’s fourth feature is a powerful allegory for the oppressive influence of religion in modern Russia, as timely as it is compelling.