Navalny
★★★★
In this current age of breaking news, it's easy to overlook big events because news stories are constantly being replaced by new headlines. It's an endless cycle of notifications, so you tend to take information at face value and not explore the details. I vaguely remember hearing about Navalny and how the Moscow Kremlin poisoned him, so I was thankful for this documentary for fleshing out the fascinating and scary details. I can't say that I'm surprised by the actions of Putin's authoritarian rule, but it's gripping to see the lengths that the Russian government has taken to suppress Navalny, who is a political adversary to their reign.
The man himself is extremely charismatic and it's easy to see why he has gained such a following. It's not so much his ideals or words but his confidence to challenge such a political force that makes him a fascinating subject. What I appreciated most about this documentary is that we don't often get to see Russian citizens rally against Putin's government, and it was refreshing to see a group of people who aren't swayed by their propaganda. Although the film hints at Navalny's checkered past, I wish the film dug a bit more into the man himself and his motives. The film ends up being more about the poising incident, which is beyond gripping, but by the end, I still was left with a lot of questions about the makeup of Navalny.
I didn't have a chance to see the other documentary films that were up for an Oscar this year, so I don't know how deserving this one is over the others. But I will say that there is a scene involving a phone conversation that is one of the most memorable scenes that I've seen in quite some time.
