A Long Weekend with the Son of God

A Long Weekend with the Son of God takes a look at cult leader Sergei Torop, a man who believes he is Jesus reborn.

Together with his band of followers, the Church of the Last Testament, Sergei has created a small religious settlement in the forests of South Siberia, Russia, and named it Sun City.

To Sergei and his followers, the location was chosen specifically as a means to separate themselves from the rest of the world – a world heading for mass catastrophes which will eventually wipe everything out.

His community’s beliefs draw on Orthodox Christianity and environmentalism, among other ideologies.

Veganism is enforced, and monetary exchanged banned within the commune.

Cult members dress austerely and count their calendar from 1961, the year of Torop’s birth.

Christmas has been replaced by a feast day on January 14, his birthday.

Torop’s own transformation to Vissarion Christ, the Son of God, began in 1991 when the Soviet Union was falling apart.

Supposedly, many Russians wanted something new to believe in, and thousands left their homes to follow him.

To understand just who Sergei is, the religion he practices and his loyal followers, this documentary journeys to Sun City to experience it for itself.

At the time of their arrival, the production crew meets the religious community during their biggest festival of the year: when their Christ comes down from the mountain to bless them.

From here onwards, filmmaker George Carey then follows Vissarion deeper into the forest to question him further.

What does he seek to attain from his religious conventions? What does the future hold in store for him and his followers? And, like Jesus of the Bible, would he die for mankind?