Alex Gibney’s riveting documentary untangles Putin’s rise to power. A grippingly clear and comprehensive overview of post-Soviet Russia that’s wrapped around the smeared maquette of a man who’s defined it.
David Ehrlich, Indie Wire
—
Alex Gibney’s absorbing new documentary about Mikhail Khodorkovsky charts the Russian businessman’s transformation from plutocrat to political dissident.
While all the other post-Soviet wiseguys just bulked up and looked ever more morose and fractious (there is a startling glimpse of Roman Abramovich who has this characteristic oligarch sulk-frown) Khodorkovsky became smilingly sleek and telegenic as he voiced his political concerns. With close-cropped hair, rimless spectacles and a black sweater tucked into his blue jeans, he looked like a combination of Steve Jobs and Jerry Seinfeld.
Meanwhile, Putin’s face seems ever more puffy and waxy, perhaps the result of having had cosmetic work done. In his London exile, where he sponsors anti-Putin activism, Khodorkovsky seems untroubled by the fact that so many Putin critics have met violent ends in the UK. It may still happen to him – something this new documentary does not directly address. Khodorkovsky is shown getting London tubes and trains on his own, like a British commuter, with no obvious security guards. But surely he must travel with at least two or three burly guys.
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Language: Russian, English
Subtitles: English (partly)
- Name in Original Language: Citizen K
- Director: Alex Gibney
- Country: USA, UK
- Year: 2019
- Length: 126
- Age limit: null
- Cinematography: Mark Garrett, Denis Sinyakov
- Editing: Michael J. Palmer
- Music: Robert Logan, Ivor Guest
- Production: Passion Pictures, Jigsaw, Storyteller Productions
Showtimes:
- Cinema Sõprus: Thursday 30.01 - 18:00