Sundance 2022 Review: ‘Navalny’ a Daring and Defiant Act of Filmmaking

“Navalny” is a real-life political thriller that exposes the Russian government’s lengths to suppress democracy. 

This documentary captures events happening in real-time. It starts after the attempt to poison the titular subject. Alexei Navalny is the leader of the Russian opposition, and as such, he’s been very critical of Vladimir Putin’s regime. What has separated Navalny from other opposition leaders of the past is how he uses social media to promulgate his views and scrutiny of the Russian government. His YouTube channel has millions of subscribers that follow all the investigations he and his team have published. He also tends to use TikTok to appeal to a younger audience. The intelligent use of online platforms combined with his charismatic persona has made him a real challenger to Putin. 

Recovering from Near Death…

After almost dying, Navalny spent months recovering in Germany. Most of the concurrent footage started being recorded during that period. The interviews with his family and team provide an intimate glimpse of who he is and unveil the impact he has had in Russian politics. In one of the interviews with Navalny, he takes a break, and the camera turns off. At that moment, Alexei expresses that he’s not worried about the questions being asked and says, “It’s just that I realize that he’s filming it all for the movie he’s going to release if I get whacked.”

The film has a sense of uncertainty because of what could happen to Navalny once he decides to return to Russia. The attempt to poison Navalny gave him the attention of an international community that still doesn’t know how to respond to the regime’s human rights violations. Nevertheless, there’s always an awareness that Putin’s regime won’t let his claims be stand without punishment. At one point, Navalny says, “In an authoritarian country, you are a pro authoritarian leader, or you’re against an authoritarian leader.” 

‘Navalny’ as a Gentle Plea for Russians Not to Give Up

Another important subject in this documentary is Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian investigative journalist who found out the details of the operation to poison Navalny. Grozev’s investigation proved a link between the assassination attempt and the Russian government. That results in the most jaw-dropping sequence of this film, as Grozev provides Navalny with the phones of the main suspects in the scheme to kill him. They start a series of prank calls that end up revealing some shocking truths. The satisfying part of those calls is that they confirmed some of the theories that the government described as paranoid. That scene is one of those unexpected and unintentional moments that summarizes the importance of documentary filmmaking. 

Everyone should watch this documentary no matter the country in which you live.”

The success of this kind of documentary depends significantly on the level of access the filmmakers have to record and capture the live reactions of its main subject. An example of that is “Citizenfour” (2014), another documentary that focuses on a government persecuted person. Like “Citizenfour,” “Navalny” engages the viewer by being in the middle of a historical controversy with international implications. Again, the openness of the main subject is vital to make these kinds of documentaries work. At its best, this doc captures truthful reactions and the tension of the life-changing events these individuals are facing. 

A Documentary that Everyone Should Watch

Documentaries are made to expose truths, remember history, amplify messages, and provoke change—which Daniel Roher’s “Navalny” does on all accounts. Alexei Navalny returned to Russia on January 17th, 2021; as of this date, he has been in prison for a year. It will be interesting to see what kind of repercussions this film will have. “Navalny” ends with a hopeful tone and a plea for Russians not to give up. Everyone should watch this documentary no matter the country in which you live. Russia’s fight for democracy is something that will impact international relations in the years to come. 

This review was written from day 9 of Sundance Film Festival’s 2022 programming. 

Support the Site: Consider becoming a sponsor to unlock exclusive, member-only content and help support The Movie Buff!