Written by Emma Sikes. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
“Navalny,” directed by Daniel Roher, captures the inspiring story of the leader of the Russian opposition’s rise to fame with his weekly Youtube postings. Despite the reigning president Vladimir Putin, banning this anti-corruption campaigner from national television, Alexei Navalny has 6.39 million subscribers on Youtube. On this account, he directly addresses corruption and the lavish spending habits of Russia’s government officials. He has been outspoken on these issues and his distrust of the Kremlin. This outspokenness nearly caused his demise on Navalny’s trip back from Siberia to Moscow. He became violently ill on a flight and was dropped in a local hospital in Omsk, later finding out he was poisoned with Novichok. As rumors spread as to who ordered this assassination attempt, it became clear it was a warning sent to Navalny to stop criticizing the government.
The film opens with a conversation with a surviving politician. He is asked to give a statement in the case that he may be killed, or locked away. The audience is immediately put at ease by his bravery as he makes a quip about how morbid of a question that is. Right away, Navalny’s charm and vulnerability reveals itself and it is understood why so many Russians agree with his opinions on the President. After his poisoning, the film follows his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and her fight to get him proper care after the long-awaited release.
As Navalny recovers, he starts to do his own investigating into his own attempted killing. He is forced to do his own investigation with help from former Navalny critic, Christo Grozev. Once the killers are identified, the up-and-coming leader decides to call his attempted killers and he calls it a prank. However, the chemist of the operation admits to all aspects of the plan and uncovers even more during their shocking conversation. Navalny and his team decide to release their findings online and the video went completely viral, gaining millions of views.
Post-recovery, he made the decision to venture back to his home and attempt some form of normalcy. With the mention of Navalny’s homecoming, a swarm of supporters awaited his arrival and were met with police opposition, diverting his plane and causing his immediate detention.
Alexei Navalny has been in jail since February 2021. His freedom lies in the hands of his corrupt opponent, Vladimir Putin. The documentary highlights Navalny’s passion, honesty and perseverance, rare qualities seen in politicians. Proof that his fight for change is relentless, he leaves us with the message, “You are not allowed to give up.”
