Mr. Nobody Against Putin
| Mr. Nobody Against Putin | |
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 Sundance release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by | David Borenstein |
| Produced by |
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| Cinematography | Pavel Talankin |
| Edited by |
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| Languages | Russian English |
Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a 2025 documentary film directed by David Borenstein. It premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award.
Background
[edit]Mr. Nobody Against Putin was shot over a period of two years by Pavel "Pasha" Talankin, the videographer and events coordinator at Karabash Primary School #1.[2] Talankin began seriously documenting his activities after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, when the government began requiring schools to hold regular "patriotic displays" and use a state-written curriculum to justify the invasion to students.[2] At the same time, the government instituted a requirement to upload footage of these displays to a state-run portal to prove compliance, allowing Talankin cover to film meetings, lessons, and visitors to the school without attracting suspicion.[3] Talankin initially planned to resign in order to avoid supporting the Russian government, however, after getting in contact with the documentary's producer he withdrew his resignation to keep gathering footage.[3]
Critical reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10.[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[5]
IndieWire published a positive review, giving the film a grade of "A-" and praising the documentary for its undercover footage of life inside Russia.[2] The Guardian was similarly positive and praised Talankin for his bravery in capturing footage.[6] The Daily Beast and Variety also published positive reviews.[3][7] The A.V. Club was more critical, noting that the film's focus on a single school made it feel limited in scope and that several narrative threads were dropped as the film continued.[8]
The film received the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Crucchiola, Jordan (2025-01-25). ""Mr. Nobody Against Putin" Is a Roadmap for Bravery in the Face of Authoritarianism". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ a b c Blauvelt, Christian (2025-01-26). "'Mr. Nobody Against Putin' Review: A Riveting Look Inside an Increasingly Totalitarian Russia". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ a b c Schager, Nick (2025-01-25). "One Teacher's Brave Stand Against Putin's Propaganda Machine". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ "Mr. Nobody Against Putin". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
- ^ "Mr. Nobody Against Putin". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ Horton, Adrian (2025-01-25). "Mr Nobody Against Putin review – a teacher fights back in a powerful documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ Aguilar, Carlos (2025-01-25). "'Mr. Nobody Against Putin' Review: A Defiant Teacher Witnesses the Militarization of Russian Schools Amid Ukraine War in Poignant Doc". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ Oller, Jacob (2025-01-27). "Sundance documentaries tackle gender-affirming care, cancer treatment, and warmongering". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ "2025 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Sundance Institute. 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-02-05.