Sundance 2022: Navalny Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Many audiences may more or less be aware of the story of Alexei Navalny, the charismatic Russian opposition leader and victim of a failed assassination attempt via poisoning in August 2020 but some may not be aware of the whole story and the circumstances that led to it. The aptly-titled Navalny is an intense documentary that profiles the titular leader from his humble upbringing to his rise to power amongst the opposition in the midst of the ruthless system that sought to oppress him at every turn. Though some bit and pieces of this have appeared in the public sphere over the last few years, what truly sets this film apart was its level of intimate access, capturing moments and providing context to things that some audiences already know. It may be a very uplifting watch though also one that was hard to watch at times and surprisingly intense, boasting one of the most powerful moments of the year so far.

As mentioned, Navalny was a profile told through the lens of his attempted poisoning, the event which the film was centered around. From there, it was all about how we got there and then what will be done following the incident. It was essentially a roller coaster of a watch featuring plenty of highs and lows but both are equally important in knowing the full story. Behind the public figure was a simple man and husband who merely cared about his country and the will of his fellow people. A sharp contrast from current leader Vladimir Putin, Navalny was a force for whom people flocked to perhaps out of frustration with being oppressed for so long. That rise certainly put a target on his back from Putin and a regime that has systematically eliminated his detractors. And despite his popularity, that obviously didn’t quite protect Navalny from that threat and if it wasn’t for a set of unexpected circumstances, he would not have survived. His recovery from the attempt on his life and subsequent investigation by he and journalists across the international community made for some truly powerful moments accentuated by the film’s intimate access across that entire grueling process. Due to the nature of Russia, whatever was going to happen would need to be done themselves as they were on their own.

At the end of the day, this whole saga is far from over which is just sad. That being said, despite Navalny currently in prison, the tides are changing as the fight is far from over. As a film, Navalny is an important and inspiring watch and a cause for hope.

*still courtesy of Sundance

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.