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Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Play trailer 2:05 Poster for Mr. Nobody Against Putin Jan 2026 1h 30m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 31 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 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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Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

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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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Critics Reviews

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Ty Burr Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack) 3d
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. Go to Full Review
Leslie Felperin The Hollywood Reporter 4d
[A] touching, intimate chronicle. Go to Full Review
Richard Brody The New Yorker Jan 23
The result, featuring a copious voice-over by Talankin, is an exemplary work of cinematic modernism, a reflexive film that turns its genesis into its subject and its moral essence. Go to Full Review
Mark Dujsik Mark Reviews Movies 4d
3/4
It is deeply disturbing and adds yet another layer to the depths of selfishness, cruelty, and megalomania of Putin that people already know. Go to Full Review
Marshall Shaffer Decider 6d
Mr. Nobody Against Putin provides an invaluable look at daily life under Putin’s Russia. Go to Full Review
Laura Clifford Reeling Reviews Jan 24
A-
Working secretly with Talankin...writer/director David Borenstein exposes how Putin, in his quest to restore the Soviet Union and Imperial Russia, is brainwashing a generation of children to become cannon fodder. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Daria K @daria141 1d Poorly camouflaged self-promotion without any coherent message See more Dean E 1d Another documentary about the war in Ukraine, but this one from the other side. A Russian teacher risks his safety documenting the Russian propaganda machine at the beginning of the invasion and then trying to get said footage out of the country. Not a lot of suspense in whether or not he succeeds, because you are watching this movie, but it's still fascinating to see this from the other point of view. See more Dave C @PeterAbbott 4d Many of the scenes were too stagey for a documentary. It felt like the directors decided how a scene should look -- how it should play out. Then they rehearsed the scene, and shot it like a fictional film drama. Some of the shots of the town of Karabash were interesting. You get at least a superficial view of a faraway place, in a country most of us will never get to visit. But that's not enough to make up for the feeling of dishonesty in the style of the filmmaking. See more Valeriya K @Valeriya870 5d It is not a loud opposition by known figures, it is a picture from an almost ordinary person feeling growing resentment toward evil power. Gradual surreal transformation of society targeting children ..one can’t hate enough how people in power destroying life. See more Tara B @AZCurlyGurl Jan 24 Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a gripping and sobering documentary that examines the power of propaganda, the price of dissent, and the courage it takes for one person to stand up against an authoritarian system. What begins as a portrait of an ordinary Russian citizen daring to question Putin’s regime evolves into a broader reflection on how societies can be slowly conditioned to accept control as stability, and silence as safety. The film isn’t just a study of authoritarianism; it’s a reminder that freedom doesn’t vanish overnight. It erodes when enough people decide it’s someone else’s problem to protect. And yet, as the film shows, the courage of even one "nobody" can pierce that darkness, reminding the world that resistance often begins with a single, defiant voice. In a time when truth itself feels under siege, this documentary is both a warning and an inspiration. See more Leaburn O Jan 24 A pretty frightening look at the militarisation of Russian schools. A reminder of the extent to which propaganda can take a grip and destroy young minds. Slightly let down by a bit of self indulgence from the film maker but generally a brave man for daring to record and flee with this material. It is scary how Russian schools are being used to train unthinking youth into joining an awful inhumane cause. Watched on BBC iPlayer. See more Read all reviews
Mr. Nobody Against Putin

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Movie Info

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)
$11.8K
Runtime
1h 30m
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