Mr. Nobody Against Putin

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Christian M @chriss17eu 2d The problem is that I don’t care. The documentary is morally and thematically solid, but it never manages to emotionally involve me. As one figure says, "I don’t care if it’s not happening to me," and while I recognize that may reflect my own lack of empathy, the film itself doesn’t bridge that distance. The execution is what fails. From the beginning I feel detached, and I watch it more out of obligation than interest. Scene after scene about serious political and social issues, but instead of being moved, I become increasingly indifferent. For a film like this, that lack of impact is fatal. I do value the risk taken by Pavel Ilych Talankin, and it reminds me of Jafar Panahi’s approach in 'It Was Just an Accident', but that courage isn’t enough to carry the experience. Narratively it is correct but not engaging for me. The pacing feels heavy despite its short runtime, and ultimately it’s a well-made documentary that doesn’t work on a personal level. See more Wayne M @Wayne93 May 14 Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a compelling and important documentary about the dangers of totalitarianism. It's both instructive and informative. The film is about Pavel Talankin, a videographer at Karabash Primary School, which is in a poor town deep in the Urals of Russia. He films school activities, but it takes a turn when the Russia Ukraine conflict breaks out. At this point the government instructs schools to undertake 'patriotic displays', which Pavel duly films. It's a great glimpse into how totalitarian regimes work and the propaganda that they use. When a British crew gets in touch with him to keep filming, he does so even if it actually puts him in danger. Pavel also films stories of the young people in the village and how the war shapes them. Films like feel more important than ever. See more Sara Elizabeth G @Elizabeth354 Apr 18 Es muy fuerte de ver, como les quieren lavar el cerebro para morir "por una causa de honor", pero solo es pura propaganda para carne de cañon. See more Alan Q @RT14308229 Apr 4 I came into the film wondering how Pavel "Pasha" Talankin managed to make it at all. As an outsider, I kept noticing moments where he’s fully in frame while the camera moves, raising the question of who was behind the lens. Talankin mentions an assistant videographer hired by the school, and the film hints that this colleague may have quietly supported him beyond official duties. What ultimately struck me, though, was how the children are pulled into state propaganda, embodied by history teacher Pavel Abdulmanov, who feels like a Cold War villain made real. The students lingered with me most—Masha, shifting from bright‑eyed warmth to fear as her brother goes to war, and the boys, transformed from clean‑cut teens into reluctant recruits. It’s a quietly devastating documentary that earns every bit of its acclaim. See more Ray Y @user1343290-8751s Apr 3 The most revealing part of Mr. Nobody Against Putin isn’t the film itself, but the reviews orbiting it. A predictable chorus reframes it as propaganda, not by engaging with what’s shown, but by preemptively dismissing anything that challenges their preferred narrative. It’s less critique, more reflex. What stands out is the symmetry they refuse to see: distrust of institutions is valid, but only when it serves their side. The moment the lens turns outward, skepticism becomes denial. The film becomes a Rorschach test; not for truth, but for allegiance. In the end, the reactions say more than the documentary. Not about Russia, not about politics, but about how easily conviction replaces curiosity when identity is at stake. The most dangerous thing we have before us is a group of free citizens blind from its own ambitions, willingly snuffing out liberalism that freed humanity from much suffering better than any other ideology, ever. See more William W @FireMusicTaste_88 Mar 29 This was a really introspective look into the oppressive regime of Russia and its involvement indoctrinating kids into joining the war against Ukraine. You were able to emphasize with every person in the doc and understand the circumstances everybody came from. See more Read all reviews

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

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