Kornii Hrytsiuk’s fascinating documentary is constructed from fragments of Russian feature films from the last 25 years, including works by acclaimed directors and lighthearted sitcoms. As the young Ukrainian filmmaker compellingly demonstrates, Russian cinema has been an instrument of Kremlin propaganda since the turn of the century. These films celebrate Russia’s imperial wars—Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine—while glorifying Russian soldiers and dehumanizing their enemies. The adversaries are consistently depicted as cowardly yet cunning, ruthless, and driven by greed. Hrytsiuk’s analysis of how Ukrainians are portrayed in Russian films is particularly striking: the women are beautiful but foolish, while the men are vulgar and greedy. The crude manipulations of these propagandists are so blatant that they can, at times, be laughable—until the sobering realization sets in of the terrifying impact they’ve had.

Konrad Wirkowski