Mr. Nobody Against Putin Review

You do not need to be the most educated of political commentators to know that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a major step backwards in the fight for global peace. So many documentaries have been made about the conflict in the years since then, but none with as unique an angle as Mr. Nobody Against Putin. Enter Pavel Talankin. He is a teacher in a small mining town’s, doubling as the videographer for the school. However, what separates this from the pack is that this is not a film about Ukraine, this is very much about Russia.

When news of the war reaches the Russian population, Pavel’s world is turned upside down as he is instructed to record evidence of the school’s compliance with the new patriotic regulations. Russia is infamous for censorship and its control of the media, so it is quite remarkable how this film has even been made public. We learn early on in the film that Pavel is trying to make it out of Russia, smuggling his footage with him. While we are witness to the latter making it over the border, it is not public knowledge as to where Pavel calls home right now, to protect him from the threats he has received from the pro-war supporters in his homeland.

We meet lots of different characters along the way, including Pavel’s mother, who is also the school librarian. Her quiet patriotism throughout makes for interesting viewing, as she balances her political views with her concern for her son’s welfare. Another that we meet is a fellow teacher, Abdulmanov, who finds no difficulty in adapting to the new rules set by the Russian government. A baffling moment comes when he is listing his idols, all of which are Soviet political leaders. The ease with which he spreads propaganda as gospel to the students doesn’t come as much surprise, and neither does his winning of Russia’s ‘Teacher of the Year’ award.

So many of the films that have been born from the tragic circumstances in the East have been to show the impact it has had on the Ukrainian people. It is so easy for the media to paint Russia as a whole as the villains in the conflict, but this film highlights that the general public of Russia is just as innocent as those in Ukraine. They are mainly just victims of propaganda, unfortunate enough to live under a totalitarian regime that restricts their connection to the wider world. Thanks to Mr. Nobody Against Putin, the world is given an insight into what life is like in Russia.