Mr. Nobody Against Putin (2025)
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A videographer at a Russian school secretly documents the government's efforts to control public perception during the war.
The story
The film follows Pavel Talankin, a videographer and coordinator at a school in Karabash, a poor mining town near the Ural Mountains. While recording his students, Talankin documents the Putin administration's moves to control public perception during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. He utilizes his role at the school to film meetings, lessons, and visitors, navigating the government's requirements for 'patriotic displays' and state-written curriculum. The film captures the tension of his work as he attempts to document the reality of life and resistance within the school's walls while under the watchful eye of state-mandated reporting.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows Pavel Talankin, a videographer at a school in the mining town of Karabash. Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government mandated 'patriotic displays' and state-written curricula in schools. Talankin used the requirement to upload footage of these events to a state portal as a cover to secretly film the reality of the school's environment. The film reveals the lives of those around him: his mother, a local teacher, a student whose brother died in the war, and students being drafted. Key moments include the arrival of Wagner Group mercenaries and Talankin's act of playing the US national anthem during a flag-raising ceremony. The film concludes with Talankin's escape from Russia in 2024 after evidence of police surveillance at his home surfaced.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 90
- Production countries
- Denmark; Czech Republic
- Original languages
- Russian
- Directors
- David Borenstein; Pavel Talankin
- Writers
- David Borenstein · writer
- Cast and characters
- Pavel Talankin · self
- Genres
- documentary
- Themes
- censorship; war; resistance; ethics of documentary filmmaking
- Tone and mood
- tense; investigative
- Premise and plot tags
- undercover; political; educational
- Reception
- Generally positive, though it faced criticism regarding the ethics of using covert footage of children and the portrayal of Russian opposition.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 80 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- Best Documentary · British Academy Film Awards · 79th · win
- Production trivia
- The film was banned in Russia in March 2026.; The film was selected as the Danish Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film.; The film's production was supported by the BBC and the Danish Film Institute.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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