Mr. Nobody Against Putin

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2:05

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Jan 2026

1h 30m

Documentary

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53 Reviews

76%

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100+ Ratings

Pavel "Pasha" (33) is a teacher and event organizer at a small primary school in a Russian town with a population of 10,000. In ordinary times, he is a beloved mentor, prankster, and nonconformist, known for hanging up democracy posters and offering a safe haven in his office for students who feel out of place. However, after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Pasha took on the role of an international whistleblower, exposing the devastating effects of Russia's aggressive militarization within its own schools. Haunted by his painful years as a student at the same school, Pasha remains a lighthearted and mischievous presence on campus. Yet his mission as a teacher is challenged when a new patriotic education policy is introduced during the early weeks of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Pasha is shocked to learn that his responsibilities now include facilitating daily state-sanctioned propaganda events. To cope with his guilt and feelings of powerlessness, he decides to document how the war is transforming his school. Under the guise of his actual role as the school's videographer, he records hundreds of hours of footage inside classrooms and on school grounds. What emerges is the story of an institution abruptly transformed: propaganda, repressive new laws, militarized children's organizations, and the eventual recruitment of graduating students to fight in Ukraine. Pasha reaches his emotional breaking point as he films farewell parties for cherished students being sent to the frontlines in Ukraine. As the body bags return, Pasha and the rest of the school community grapple with the twin traumas of violence and repression. When Pasha learns his own life may be in danger, he is forced to plan a daring escape from Russia.

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Critics Consensus

Chronicling one whistleblower's uphill struggle with clear-eyed insight, Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a powerful documentary that vividly illustrates the resilience of everyday people against institutional forces.

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G. Allen Johnson

San Francisco Chronicle

Mar 23, 2026

4/4

To show a totalitarian country in pure propaganda mode is instructive and impactful.

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Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

Jan 30, 2026

3.5/4

The guiding intelligence and pervading mournfulness is all Pasha’s as he watches the light in his students' eyes slowly dim to darkness.

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Leslie Felperin

The Hollywood Reporter

Jan 29, 2026

[A] touching, intimate chronicle.

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Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

Sep 26, 2026

4/5

The film [Talankin] constructed with David Borenstein in Denmark and the Czech Republic now lives on as a procedural about the steps it takes to militarize a populace: start with the kids, hammer the message home, and punish anyone who steps out of line.

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Graeme Tuckett

The Post NZ

Jul 13, 2026

It is just a document of a couple of years in the life of a teacher, watching and recording the changes he sees around him. But its cumulative effect, over a pretty deftly assembled 90 minutes, is devastating.

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Glenn Dunks

reDocumented

May 13, 2026

Talankin is petty and rash and that attitude carries over into the film. It’s a whirlwind of emotions like a kid going through the turbulence of growing up. That tonal surprise is one of its biggest assets.

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Tom F

@RT55173143 1 day ago

A small story about a small man documenting the world around him, and making it fascinating.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Sep 24, 2026

Carefully treaded to inconspicuously mislead over its politically shady revelation mainly from an individualistically concerned standpoint comparably witnessing how disturbing and conditional societal obligatory is, subtly underlies the indicated haunting reality a community face when evidently fulfilling ignorance is bliss. This documentary blitzes under disengagement in a timely matter that doesn’t intend to be framed propagandistically but merely let the documented, socially bridged footage to generally spread awareness into the argumentative criticism that simply fits without much of an insightful dent. (B)

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Romas M

@Romas Sep 8, 2026

Greetings from Lithuania. "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" (2025) is the documentary movie that won the Oscar for a best documentary of the year, and that is the only reason I've heard about it. I like in east Europe, and things that are shown in this movie a relevant topics here. Because i'm fluent in Russian and have been there, I found this movie to be a captivating look at everyday life in a school in a small city of Russia after the invasion to Ukraine. I couldn't believe my eyes what I was seeing, but I'm sure 100% that it is true. The creator of this movie and one that captured all these videos should be applauded for bravery. There are scenes in this movie that left me in tears. Overall, "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" is a great, powerful and relevant documentary. A really must see.

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Patsy B

@Patsy488 Aug 11, 2026

Riveting documentary filmed by a schoolteacher in a small Russian town during the start of the war against Ukraine, showing the propaganda & exploitation of the children in the school in this period. Very, very scary stuff.

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Housne L

@RT55393942 Jul 9, 2026

Great risk and delivered perfectly.

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Vixo S

@vixo_six Jun 11, 2026

Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a rough but powerful documentary about propaganda, education and the risk of recording what power wants hidden. Its technical fragility becomes part of its identity, making the film feel like a document created at the edge of danger rather than a polished production. The most disturbing element is how politics enters ordinary life, especially the classroom. A place meant to open minds slowly becomes a tool for obedience, where children repeat ideas they cannot fully understand and war begins to feel like something shaped through language and ritual. The protagonist gives the film its strongest tension. He loves his country, his work and his students, yet that loyalty pushes him toward an act that can be seen as betrayal. The documentary is not always easy to connect with, but it leaves a clear warning: when fear and propaganda shape a generation, the damage continues long after the war.

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David Borenstein

Director

Pasha Talankin

Self

David Borenstein

Screenwriter

Helle Faber

Producer

Pavel Ilyich Talankin

Cinematographer

Nicolaj Monberg

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Mr. Nobody Against Putin: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Pavel "Pasha" (33) is a teacher and event organizer at a small primary school in a Russian town with a population of 10,000. In ordinary times, he is a beloved mentor, prankster, and nonconformist, known for hanging up democracy posters and offering a safe haven in his office for students who feel out of place. However, after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Pasha took on the role of an international whistleblower, exposing the devastating effects of Russia's aggressive militarization within its own schools. Haunted by his painful years as a student at the same school, Pasha remains a lighthearted and mischievous presence on campus. Yet his mission as a teacher is challenged when a new patriotic education policy is introduced during the early weeks of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Pasha is shocked to learn that his responsibilities now include facilitating daily state-sanctioned propaganda events. To cope with his guilt and feelings of powerlessness, he decides to document how the war is transforming his school. Under the guise of his actual role as the school's videographer, he records hundreds of hours of footage inside classrooms and on school grounds. What emerges is the story of an institution abruptly transformed: propaganda, repressive new laws, militarized children's organizations, and the eventual recruitment of graduating students to fight in Ukraine. Pasha reaches his emotional breaking point as he films farewell parties for cherished students being sent to the frontlines in Ukraine. As the body bags return, Pasha and the rest of the school community grapple with the twin traumas of violence and repression. When Pasha learns his own life may be in danger, he is forced to plan a daring escape from Russia.

Director: David Borenstein
Producer: Helle Faber
Screenwriter: David Borenstein
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: ZDF/Arte, Pink Productions, Made in Copenhagen
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 21, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 22, 2026
Box Office (Gross USA): $250.3K
Runtime: 1h 30m

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