Directed by David Borenstein, Mr. Nobody Against Putin captures one teacher’s courageous stand against Russian propaganda in the classroom.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a foreboding reminder that totalitarianism, when cloaked in propaganda and enforced with relentless brutality, can seep into everyday life until it feels as mundane as a morning math lesson. Directed by David Borenstein, this documentary follows Pavel “Pasha” Talankin, a school event coordinator turned unlikely activist in his unassuming industrial Russian town. What begins as an exploration of the quiet ways Pasha fosters community through his job—a talent show here, a children’s holiday party there—quickly morphs into a chilling portrait of a man fighting a losing battle against an unstoppable tide of authoritarianism. When the Russian invasion of Ukraine begins, bringing with it strict pro-war messaging in the classroom, Pasha becomes a lone voice of dissent, trying desperately to save the minds of his students from the state’s misinformation machine.
The documentary’s opening scenes establish Pasha’s deep camaraderie with the children under his care. Watching him organize school events with genuine warmth and humor draws you into a sense of normalcy that makes the looming storm all the more devastating. As the invasion escalates and Putin’s militarization complex infiltrates even the most benign school assemblies, Pasha’s world begins to close in. The turning point comes when Pasha challenges the mandatory inclusion of war rhetoric in a children’s program. His refusal to toe the party line marks him as a target, and the documentary subtly shifts into a claustrophobic descent as his life becomes increasingly stifled.
One of the film’s most harrowing sequences comes during the funeral of a local soldier from Pasha’s own graduating class. Because it’s too dangerous to film the funerals of these dead soldiers—the actual death numbers to this day are still dubious at best—Pasha only records the audio. So all we hear are gut-wrenching screams of the soldier’s mother. The wrenching shouts of her grief cut through the screen like a knife, along with any pretense that these soldiers are off fighting some noble cause.
Yet for all its power, the film often struggles with deft pacing, often diluting its impact with repetitive filler. Borenstein’s choice to linger on mundane details, while perhaps an attempt to emphasize the suffocating monotony of life under autocratic rule, ends up detracting from the momentum of the message. At times it feels like a short film stretched to fit the runtime of a feature, and the uneven structure risks losing viewers in its quieter moments. That said, when the film does refocus on Pasha’s plight, it’s nothing short of gripping. Watching him be surveilled, harassed, and eventually ostracized by his own community is a visceral experience all the more harrowing by the knowledge that these events are still unfolding in real time.
Pasha’s interactions with the children remain a poignant throughline. Though it’s hard to watch as their innocent enthusiasm clashes painfully with the oppressive forces that will soon overshadow their lives. It’s in these fleeting glimpses of hope and resilience that the documentary finds its soul, reminding us of what’s at stake in the fight against fascism in all borders.
And yes, watching this stark depiction of authoritarianism the same week the U.S. sees its new president peddling his own corporate-run propaganda, threatening wars, and enforcing draconian policies is a gut-punch of a parallel. It’s proof of how easily dictatorships take root, slipping into the ordinary and infecting the culture until no one is left to fight back. “It can happen here” is now “pay attention, because it’s already started.”
Ultimately, Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a flawed but vital documentary. While its pacing issues and uneven structure prevent it from reaching its full potential, the courage of Pasha Talankin is undeniable. The film serves as a testament to the resilience of those who dare to speak truth to power, even when all you have is a camera and a conscience. If nothing else, it leaves viewers with a haunting realization: tyranny thrives not just on fear, but on our willingness to look away. This is a film that demands we keep looking.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin had its world premiere at the Sundance 2025 Film Festival. Find more of our Sundance 2025 coverage here.
REVIEW RATING
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Mr. Nobody Against Putin - 7/10
7/10
Jon is one of the co-founders of InBetweenDrafts. He hosts the podcasts Thank God for Movies, Mad Men Men, Rookie Pirate Radio, and Fantasy Writing for Barbarians. He doesn’t sleep, essentially.
