159. Navalny; movie review

 

NAVALNY

Cert 12A

99 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language

Every day we are told more and more scary stories from Russia and Vladimir Putin's apparent desire to continue the bloodshed he began in Ukraine.

But, because we never know whether we are receiving an entirely clear picture, we still don't know how fervently the Russian people back their leader.

One of the reasons is that Putin has no organised opposition leader following the incarceration of Alexei Navalny who is now in prison in Siberia.

Daniel Roher's documentary is a record of Navalny's time in Germany where he recovered from an attempt to kill him off with poison.

Between interviews with a determined subject, it weaves in a potted history of his dissent to the Putin rule.

It also shows how much opposition and support for Navalny had grown until he was suddenly taken dangerously ill on an internal flight.

It then focuses on the investigation by journalists into the plot to kill him and the uncovering of the names of those responsible

Obviously, we have become used to shocking moves by The Kremlin because of daily reports of atrocities inside Ukraine.

Nevertheless, there are moments during the film which made us gasp.

Sadly, even the UK leadership denies evidence about its own misdeeds almost daily, so it shouldn't surprise us too much if this happens in other countries.

But the botched assassination attempt on Navalny becomes more astonishing, the more layers are revealed.

The details make for an enthralling watch and the film's denouement leaves us desperately worried for the future of our world.

Reasons to watch: Because it is damned important

Reasons to avoid: If you want to believe Russian propaganda

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? Navalny rose to prominence thanks to his blog, on which he exposed corruption by Russian officials. His Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded in 2011, also published reports on high-level misconduct. He later broadened his audience by starting a YouTube channel, which has more than 4 million subscribers.

The final word. Daniel Roher: "If we can keep Alexei’s name in the headlines it will be harder for the regime to murder him in prison. My personal mission as the director of this film is to get as many people in the world to see it as I possibly can." Variety

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