As the Sundance Film Festival neared its end, I was ready to put a check on top of my screening list. I just needed to watch a few more award winners before I did. One, in particular, was not just a surprise of the festival, but one of the most engaging documentaries I’ve seen in quite a while. That film is Navalny. Despite it being a late addition to the festival, it is one of the festival’s most timely stories.
Winner of the U.S. Documentary Audience Award, Daniel Roher’s Navalny tells the story of Alexei Navalny, Russian political opposition to Vladimir Putin. The documentary chronicles the events surrounding Navalny’s life, commencing with him being poisoned. Roher is there throughout all the events following, including Navalny and his team attempting to figure out who, specifically, did it and understanding the reasoning behind Putin’s and the government’s hatred towards him.
Roher’s direction adds the feeling of a genuine spy thriller. If you were to tell someone they watched the latest entry in the Tom Clancy franchise, they’d probably believe you. Langdon Page and Maya Daisy Hawke’s editing should be praised as it aids in this spy-thriller feels along with moments throughout, including tense filled conversations where Navalny convinces one of the parties involved into making what could be considered a full confession during a phone call, which we later come to find out, this individual has not been heard from or seen since the phone call.
Using video footage that shows Navalny leading protest rallies, gaining support from thousands of Russians for his campaign to root out the corrupt leadership of Putin’s reign, Roher creates a narrative as to why Navalny is so disliked. It reaches a height where Navalny is banned from TV and won’t let his image appear in newspapers. However, thanks to social media, he can keep his voice active for his supporters with a video blog with millions of followers. Despite the dangers that surrounded his life at the time, Navalny was on hand for interview segments. These segments are effectively used to decipher his motivations and why he continues to fight for the cause despite the constant danger of assassination attempts or prison time.
A downside to the film is the lack of a proper ending. Alexei Navalny’s story is still being told as he is currently in a Russian prison, as Navalny decided to head back to Russia and was arrested on the spot. While Navalny’s story continues, he will continue to live in infamy as Roher’s timely film will have his fearlessness and fight embedded in history forever.
