"Navalny": Film for a Fractured World
An essential, personal, and inspiring depiction of political heroism amidst Putin's ongoing war in Ukraine.
[First Published: April 13, 2022]
Happy Wednesday. I would like to briefly apologize for a technical issue with Substack last week. It seems that my Everything Everywhere All at Once got emailed twice. Fingers crossed it does not happen again. With that, let us jump into the most relevant and urgent review in this page’s short history.
Navalany, which premiered earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival, found its way to theaters around the country in recent weeks during a limited release before moving to HBO Max and CNN. The movie, a documentary about Russian opposition leader and current political prisoner, Alexei Navalny, is an essential watch. Its timeliness to the ongoing war and accompanying atrocities in Ukraine feel much heavier when watching the interpersonal, political, and social chastising Navalny encounters at the hands of his own government during political protests. For those that missed the chilling video of him reacting to poison aboard a plane last year, Navalny is a Russian lawyer best known for taking on the authoritarian government in Moscow. He challenged current president Vladimir Putin in elections, making him public enemy number one by rousing the country’s citizenry to question the incumbent’s (unchallenged) rule. The activist dreams of a decentralized Russia where local governments return to what he calls the “primitive politics” of human rights and free speech.
Director Daniel Roher follows Navalny on his fateful trip to Siberia, the aforementioned poisoning en route, and his unfettered determination to return to Moscow. Navalny seeks to answer questions such as: who poisoned Navalny? Why was the Russian government afraid of what he could do? Simultaneously, Roher & Co. weave a narrative of a Russian patriot who continues to stop for nothing to offer Russians an alternative to its current leadership.
The film opens with an interview between Navalny and Roher, where the director asks him what he wants his followers to know if he dies. Alexei shrugs the question, suggesting they shoot a sequel upon his assassination. It is hard to sit here and type that I would remain resolute in the face of such consequences. The question then becomes, “why is Navalny transfixed on challenging Vladimir Putin? What drives him and his family to confront a seemingly impenetrable power?” While I would like to make an apparent reference to other such moments of heroism or political defiance in the service of a greater good, the best I could come up with (in terms of subject matter and film portrayal) is 2014’s Citizenfour and Terrence Malick’s 2019 film, A Hidden Life.
Similar to Malick and Glenn Greenwald, Roher leans into the story he was so serendipitously lucky to be near, one involving international factions that found a common enemy. Hair-raising moments of suspense and tension arise as we follow Navalny surviving certain death, exposing his enemies, and defiantly returning to the lion’s den in hopes of winning another battle. The film is an active record and testament to democracy. The arrest, attacks, and attempted murder of Navalny are shocking. Despite such pressure, the most wanted man continues fighting when he could have easily remained elsewhere in Europe.
Navalny is a must-watch documentary that takes you on a humanizing journey of an increasingly admirable figure. The film offers unprecedented access to one of the world’s most thought-provoking figures who fights ethical battles we merely muse over.
The film's last third plays like a thriller and then a tragedy. A sense of dread overtakes the story, and the endgame is swift. When Navalny touches down in Moscow, he is immediately arrested and must say a hasty goodbye to his wife, Yulia. The final moments produced a wave of emotion in me—an activist imprisoned by an autocrat who has shown unimaginable brutality in Ukraine. The war hangs over Navalny like a grim shadow and reminds you of the stakes.
We will be back Friday with the fifth and final Tolkien book review. Until then, feel free to reach out with any movie or book recommendations you may have. Thanks for your time and best of luck to you on the second half of your week.