directed by Daniel Roher
I do my best not to mention any political issues here as I really hope to write about cinema in a more pleasant or educative way. However, I’ve recently seen this documentary and it’s difficult for me not to share about it as it’s really worth your time. But before you decide to continue reading this post, let me warn you that it’s a controversial topic and if you’re a sensitive person who’s very much concerned about the political situation in Europe, especially nowadays, then skip this production for now. This documentary focuses on one person – Alexei Navalny – who’s a Russian opposition leader. The reason why they decided to make this film is not only because they wanted to present who the man is and what he does, but mostly because he was almost assassinated. In 2020 he was flying from Tomsk to Moscow and the plane had an emergency landing since Navalny’s life was in danger. At first nobody knew what’s going on and even his own family wasn’t allowed to learn more about his condition. After Navalny was finally transported to one German hospital, the tests proved that the politician had been poisoned. I’m not a specialist when it comes to poisons (as you might imagine), but the poison that was used back then was Novichok, which is apparently an incredibly deadly chemical weapon and it often makes the victim’s death look like it was of natural causes. Daniel Roher, the director of the film, said that it’s “the story of one man and his struggle with an authoritarian regime”. As I mentioned, I really don’t like talking about politics as it’s something that cinema should distract us from. I’ve always believed that the main purpose of films is to entertain us and make us forget about the reality. However, I also believe that education through films is one of the most universal ones and we should use them to share knowledge. And sometimes what we learn might be terrifying and heart-breaking, but we need to learn to deal with it. The world is a wonderful place, just people make it horrible. However, as Navalny speaks to Russians – “you cannot give up”. So let’s try not to give up. And forgive me for sharing so much about the documentary, but trust me, there’s much more to see and hear, so watch it when you can. And when you feel ready.
My rating: 7/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 