The Hermitage Dwellers

St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum contains one of the greatest art collections in the world, but Aliona van der Horst's documentary focuses not so much on the myriad masterpieces it houses—though the roving camera certainly catches glimpses of many and offers close looks at a few—as on members of its dedicated staff, some of whom have spent the better part of very long lives there. Five receive special attention here, four of them elderly women: an attendant who lost her position as an atomic engineer in the wake of perestroika, a metalworks curator whose father was among those executed during Stalin's purges, an icon curator instrumental in rescuing works of religious art from destruction, and the iron-willed director of museum maintenance, who lost her entire family during World War II. The fifth is a young man on the maintenance staff, who credits his job with saving him psychologically following wartime military service in Azerbaijan. Most of the subjects point to specific artworks that carry special meaning for them, while historical footage and still photos are adroitly interwoven to flesh out their stories, as well as that of the museum itself. The Hermitage Dwellers serves up a touching human narrative, while also making a powerful statement about the supportive, sometimes even redemptive, power of art. Highly recommended. [Note: Hermitage-Niks a 150-minute, five-part expanded version of The Hermitage Dwellers, is also newly available, priced at $398.] Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)