#two prosecutors

Two Prosecutors

Aleksandr Kuznetsov in Two Prosecutors

Cast: Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Aleksandr Filippenko, Anatoliy Beliy, Andris Keiss, Vytautus Kaniusonus, Nerijus Gadliauska, Valentin Novopolskij, Demitrijus Denisiukas. Screenplay: Sergei Loznitsa, based on a novel by Georgy Demidov. Cinematography: Oleg Mutu. Production design: Yuriy Grigorovich, Aldis Meinerts. Film editing: Danielius Kokanauskis. Music: Christiaan Verbeek. 

I go out of my way to see as many films as possible in the cinema because, frankly, it's how films are meant to be experienced. Unfortunately, there's this annoying thing called life that tends to get in the way, meaning I inevitably miss a few releases—whether due to time constraints or simply because they never show anywhere near me.

Thankfully, streaming exists. The downside is that these films tend to pile up, and by the time I get around to watching them, I rarely have the motivation to write full reviews for every single one. So, without further ado, here are a few films I've recently caught up with and what I thought of them.

EXIT 8

I too would have enjoyed my playthrough of Exit 8 a lot less if I had asthma. Seriously, the guy having an asthma attack got really annoying after a while... no offence to actual asthma sufferers, who I'm sure are much less repetitive in real life.

Anyway, this was a surprisingly fun adaptation of the indie game of the same name. They absolutely nailed the visual look and atmosphere of the original, and half the fun was trying to spot the anomalies before the characters did. Unfortunately, some of the anomalies were about as subtle as a marching band in a library, yet the main character would still stand there staring at them for what felt like an eternity, seemingly waiting for the anomaly to finish its performance before deciding to turn around.

Still, for a film based on a game that mostly consists of walking down the same corridor over and over again, this works remarkably well. As video game adaptations go, Exit 8 is definitely one of the better ones.

6/10

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY

How many terrible husbands can Samara Weaving survive? Between this and the Ready or Not films, her luck is running pretty thin.

Unfortunately, what's even thinner is this husband-plans-to-kill-wife comedy thriller, which feels painfully generic from start to finish. It also attempts to make a joke out of rape because, apparently, that's comedy now.

4/10

THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE

Forget the actual horrors depicted in the film—the girl very clearly says "Pepsi," yet the subtitles still have the audacity to translate it as "Coca-Cola."

Jokes aside, this is a wonderful little film. Iraq's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film last year (which only received its wider theatrical rollout in 2026), it explores life in 1990s Iraq under Saddam Hussein through the eyes of a young girl and her rooster, who are tasked with baking a cake for Saddam's birthday.

It's a familiar setup—the innocent child's perspective on a harsh reality—but it's executed with remarkable warmth and sensitivity. The cinematography is beautiful, the young lead delivers an astonishing performance for her age, and while the film occasionally veers into preachiness and contains elements that feel tailored towards Western audiences, it's still a genuinely special piece of cinema.

7/10

GOAT

Sony Pictures Animation has been on an incredible run lately between the Spider-Verse films and the acclaimed K-Pop Demon Hunters (which I'm still shocked is getting a Criterion release, by the way). Unsurprisingly, the animation in GOAT is, well... the GOAT.

The problem is that I couldn't bring myself to care about anything else. I'm not particularly interested in basketball, and the story never gave me a reason to become invested.

4/10

THE GOLDEN KEY: A NEW PINOCCHIO STORY (BURATINO)

Much like Disney, modern Russian cinema seems determined to remake every beloved classic it can get its hands on. Once again, it's a reminder that some originals are essentially untouchable.

I grew up with The Adventures of Buratino, the wonderfully bizarre Soviet take on Pinocchio, and it remains an absolute fever dream of a musical: charming, weird, inventive, and endlessly memorable. Everything this remake is desperately trying to be.

To be fair, The Golden Key isn't bad. There's genuine affection for the source material, and hearing Aleksey Rybnikov's iconic songs again provides a welcome dose of nostalgia, even if they're sometimes awkwardly inserted into the narrative. The cast is stacked too, with Fyodor Bondarchuk, Svetlana Nemolyaeva, Alexander Petrov, and Anora breakout Mark Eydelshteyn lending the project a level of prestige and budget the original never possessed.

But that's also part of the problem. For all its technical polish, the film lacks the innocence, warmth, and scrappy creativity that made the 1976 version so beloved. It's constantly chasing the spirit of the original without ever quite capturing it.

In the end, the rough edges of Soviet cinema turn out to be its greatest strength—something no glossy remake can truly recreate.

5/10

THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN

Tackling a controversial real-life figure is never easy, so regardless of my own views, I respect Olivier Assayas for attempting to provide a glimpse behind the Kremlin walls. Unfortunately, the end result is ultimately rather underwhelming.

One of the film's recurring choices is to frame Vladimir Putin as a modern-day "Tsar." I understand the metaphor—it's intended to highlight his concentration of power—but it feels oddly simplistic. Putin was born and raised in the Soviet Union and later served in the KGB and FSB, institutions rooted in a political system that explicitly rejected monarchy. Given those ideological origins, the repeated Tsar comparisons often feel more convenient than insightful.

Speaking of simplistic portrayals, the film also depicts Putin as uncomfortable with public speaking. Whatever one's opinion of him, it's difficult to deny that he spent decades cultivating an image as a disciplined and effective communicator. Depicting him as someone seemingly afraid of addressing an audience feels detached from reality.

As for Jude Law's performance, it's a disappointment. Physically, he never really resembles Putin, even beneath the unconvincing hairpiece. I therefore hoped he might compensate by capturing Putin's mannerisms, cadence, or presence. Instead, it mostly feels like Jude Law playing Jude Law.

The supporting performances range from solid to wildly inconsistent, particularly regarding accents. I'm not suggesting that every actor in a Russian-set film must speak Russian or adopt a Russian accent, but at least settle on a consistent approach. Instead, some characters speak with thick Russian accents while others—Paul Dano, for example—sound unmistakably English.

Narratively, the film rarely ventures beyond information readily available on Wikipedia. There's little meaningful character study, and Putin is portrayed so cautiously that he barely registers as a character at all. He isn't presented as sympathetic or villainous—he simply exists. The film seems so determined not to take a position that it ultimately says very little.

Instead, we're left with Paul Dano's dull and largely pointless romance subplot with Alicia Vikander, which goes nowhere and feels like an unnecessary detour.

Also, Putin never appears shirtless while riding a bear.

Disappointing.

5/10

TWO PROSECUTORS

While everyone else was contemplating justice, state power, and authoritarianism, I spent a concerning amount of time distracted by the lead actor's nose.

On a more serious note, Sergei Loznitsa's brutal examination of life during the Stalin era is a chilling reminder of how authoritarian systems operate, both institutionally and on an individual level. This is an extremely slow-paced film, but also a beautifully crafted one. Long stretches consist entirely of conversations, with some dialogue scenes running close to twenty minutes, yet they remain utterly engrossing.

Those extended exchanges pull you deep into the psychology of people consumed by ideology and bureaucracy. It's fascinating material. While I do think the protagonist occasionally comes across as a little too gullible to be fully believable, I was nevertheless deeply impressed by what Loznitsa achieves here.

6/10

MICHAEL

It’s interesting that ever since Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story was released, musical biopics have become almost impossible to take completely seriously. No matter how earnest they are, I can never stop hearing the line, “Dewey Cox has to think about his entire life before he plays,” in the back of my mind whenever one begins.

Michael, however, largely sidesteps the traditional biopic structure by playing more like a greatest-hits visual album. We watch Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson—who delivers an astonishingly accurate recreation of his uncle’s voice, mannerisms, and dance moves—moonwalk from one iconic performance and music video to the next. The closest thing the film has to a substantial narrative is Jackson’s troubled relationship with his father, though even that functions more as a recurring thread than a fully developed storyline.

Unsurprisingly, there is no mention of the allegations against Michael Jackson or the events explored in Finding Neverland. As a co-production with the Jackson Estate, the film is designed as a celebration rather than an examination of its subject. As a result, Michael feels less like a biography and more like a tribute concert stretched to feature length.

The songs remain fantastic, and Jaafar Jackson is genuinely superb. Beyond that, however, there isn’t much substance beneath the spectacle.

5/10

Two Prosecutors    [trailer]

In the USSR in 1937, a newly appointed prosecutor discovers an undestroyed letter from a prisoner that reveals corruption in the secret police, the NKVD. His search for the truth becomes dangerous.

Bleak, Kafkaesk parable that's still a compelling watch.

Kornev is naive and idealistic. Even if you don't know history, it's clear that he will inevitably get crushed by the system.

Two Prosecutors

(2025) Aleksandr Kuznetsov, dir Sergei Loznitsa (international)