Two Prosecutors

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Two Prosecutors

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1h 57m

History

Drama

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97%

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77 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

The latest film from the great Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa (My Joy) is a scalpel-precise tale of the horrors of totalitarian bureaucracy. Adapting a novel by Soviet writer and political prisoner Georgy Demidov, set in the Soviet Union in 1937, Loznitsa follows the attempts of an idealistic government-appointed prosecutor (Alexander Kuznetsov) to expose the mistreatment of a dissident Bolshevik writer who has been jailed and tortured without evidence of wrongdoing. As he gradually comes to realize, the lack of cause for the man's imprisonment is hardly unique under Stalin’s regime, and the neophyte lawyer may be putting himself in danger by exposing his own moral righteousness. Loznitsa constructs his story with a patient yet unmistakable sense of mounting dread, focusing on the devastating minutiae that allows fascism to function in our world.

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by Sergei Loznitsa's impeccable staging and Aleksandr Kuznetsov's haunting performance, Two Prosecutors delivers its chilling portrait of bureaucratic deception and lost idealism with quiet, unsettling power.

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Apr 2

3.5/5

What’s most startling about the film for me, however, is not the Russian history and filmmaking per se, but the relevance Two Prosecutors has to our present day.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Mar 30

The film is extraordinary: the measured pace exerts an ever-tightening chokehold of tension, and the period details are brilliantly evoked.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Mar 26

3.5/4

It sheds light on history so we don’t forget it but do learn from it. It’s the work of a true artist.

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Pedro Gallego

Espinof

3d

4/5

The narrative doesn't always hit its stride, as is the case with some of Loznitsa's stylistic choices, but the result is remarkable enough to be truly moving when necessary. [Full review in Spanish]

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

3d

3.5/4

The film examines how fascist systems thrive on control and fear, weeding out anyone who dares to ask questions or seek justice that doesn’t align with the Party.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

4d

It’s a bit arid and claustrophobic. But to a large extent that works for this story, which functions like a noose tightening around the protagonist’s neck before he knows it’s even there.

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Barbara

Mar 27

Trenchant and riveting.

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Robson C

@RT82519826 5d

Em 1937, no auge do governo Stalin, um jovem procurador vai em um presídio para colher a denúncia que recebeu de um dos prisioneiros sobre a corrupção da NKVD. O filme mostra a luta do procurador, que acabou de se formar e recém-empossado, para levar adiante a denúncia do prisioneiro, lutando contra a burocracia e a falta de vontade das autoridades e subalternos. O filme é sóbrio e contido, não há explosões de sentimentos, mesmo entre aqueles que divergem do procurador. Muita gente pode reclamar da lentidão do filme, mas isso é proposital, para mostrar a disposição do Estado em apurar as suas mazelas. Se isso acontece em democracias, imagine em um ditadura como a de Stalin. E o pior é ver isso retornar em alguns países. Para refletir.

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Lon W

@LONWOLF1968 Apr 5

SLOW AND STEADY LIKE CHINESE WATER TORTURE. STARTS OUT LIKE WE ARE IN PRISON AND EACH SHOT BEAUTIFULLY FRAMED. THE PAYOFF AT END MADE IT ALL WORK SO WELL. AND IS AS RELEVANT TODAY AS IT WAS BACK THEN.

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Robert M

@Robert11 Mar 28

A really excellent film, full of drama, very well acted and directed. A powerful evocation of what life was like in Stalin's Russia and a warning to us all about the future. This is a must-see film which will be one of the films of the year.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 20

Based on a true story in 1 hour and 57 minutes. All ages admitted worldwide.

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Thomas S

@RT53929595 Dec 5

Deux procureurs » en dit long sur la nature humaine, et met en lumière l’une de ces innombrables histoires oubliées. Ces visages de sadiques — où les ont-ils dénichés ? — donnent au film une intensité presque dérangeante. Il y a quelque chose, dans cet univers sombre et implacable, qui résonne profondément en moi. Une œuvre qui marque et qui interroge.

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Sergei Loznitsa

Director

Aleksandr Kuznetsov

Alexander Kornev

Aleksandr Filippenko

Stepniak

Anatoliy Belyy

Vyshynsky

Andris Keiss

Actor

Vytautas Kaniusonis

Actor

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Synopsis

The latest film from the great Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa (My Joy) is a scalpel-precise tale of the horrors of totalitarian bureaucracy. Adapting a novel by Soviet writer and political prisoner Georgy Demidov, set in the Soviet Union in 1937, Loznitsa follows the attempts of an idealistic government-appointed prosecutor (Alexander Kuznetsov) to expose the mistreatment of a dissident Bolshevik writer who has been jailed and tortured without evidence of wrongdoing. As he gradually comes to realize, the lack of cause for the man's imprisonment is hardly unique under Stalin’s regime, and the neophyte lawyer may be putting himself in danger by exposing his own moral righteousness. Loznitsa constructs his story with a patient yet unmistakable sense of mounting dread, focusing on the devastating minutiae that allows fascism to function in our world.

Director: Sergei Loznitsa
Producer: Kevin Chneiweiss
Screenwriter: Sergei Loznitsa
Distributor: Janus Films
Production Co: Studio Uljana Kim, SBS Productions, LooksFilm, Atoms & Void, White Picture
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 20, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 57m