Mr. Nobody Against Putin

If one were a tyrannical despot who recklessly launched his country into a questionable “special military operation” (i.e., unprovoked invasion) in a neighboring nation and needed to win over the unquestioning support of a skeptical populace, what would you do? That’s the question Russian head of state Vladimir Putin had to address when his country’s forces invaded Ukraine in a mercilessly brutal offensive in February 2022. To gain the backing of his people, Putin launched an extensive Soviet-style propaganda campaign that required coercive compliance with its stated objectives, regimented practices and unwavering belief in a pack of state-sponsored lies. And nowhere was this more apparent (and notoriously insidious) than in the nation’s schools, where young, impressionable students were forced into military-style drills, flawless recitations of political songs and poems, and indoctrination into daily brainwashing sessions. Seems like a foolproof plan, right? Well, one thing Mr. Putin didn’t count on was the masterfully implemented subversive scheming of Pasha Talankin, a mild-mannered primary school event planner and videographer from Karabash, a small industrial community in the Ural Mountains. Talankin was deeply troubled by the imposition of Putin’s plan and how it was being crammed down the throats of his kids, especially since he was required to document his school’s participation in the program in accordance with strict government requirements. However, in his capacity as official school videographer, he decided to draw upon that role to compile a record of what was transpiring for distribution to a wider audience – the world outside of Putin’s Russia. While essentially hiding in plain sight, he shot footage of the foregoing activities, many of which have been augmented here with whimsical graphics and tongue-in-cheek audio voiceovers showing how utterly preposterous they were. To those in the West, these incidents probably appear patently laughable and utterly ridiculous, even though they’re ultimately anything but funny. And, in making these potentially seditious recordings, Talankin put himself at ever-increasing risk of treason, a crime that would carry stiff penalties if he were to be tried and convicted. But, given his low-key, easygoing demeanor, as well as his ability to make it look as though he was simply going about his prescribed duties, he courageously managed to fly below the radar in compiling the footage for this brilliantly skewering first-person documentary, a film that has successfully (and deservedly) captured BAFTA and Oscar nominations. As effective as this release is in making Putin look foolish, though, there’s also a troubling underlying message here for those outside of Russia, a cautionary tale about the fine line between proud patriotism and dangerously dogmatic nationalism. Viewers should thus bear this in mind in between the laughs, encouraging us all to remain vigilant to avoid falling into that trap. Taking pride in one’s country is one thing, but freely embracing carefully calculated partisan falsehoods is something else entirely, and the journey from one to the other is a lot shorter than most of us would probably like to believe. This is truly a film to watch, listen to, and, above all, learn from.