Written by Andreas Babiolakis

The album cover for De La Soul's De La Soul and the Anonymous Nobody features a lone individual facing an angry mob. Someone running away from the action addresses the solitary man and tells him "What are you doing? Nobody can control them!" The lone man replies "I am nobody!" It is an image that has stuck with me: a call-to-action for anyone who feels unimportant enough to not matter. We all matter. The title Mr Nobody Against Putin creates a similar response from me, because, naturally, almost everyone on Earth will pale in comparison to the stature of one Vladimir Putin; the infamous Russian ruler feels untouchable to the point of surrender. Who could ever stand up to him and his power? Nobody. Pavel Talankin is nobody. He chose to face the mob. By turning his experience into a film with director David Borenstein, he has now developed his own mob: his audience. Mr Nobody Against Putin has garnered many fans since its Sundance Film Festival appearance a year ago and it is easy to see why; it is a crowd-pleasing film about a divided world.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused many shifts to happen, as can be seen in a number of documentaries since this takeover began (including 20 Days in Mariupol and Porcelain War). Mr Nobody Against Putin is another such film, where Talankin showcases what the school system is like under Putin's administration. Primary schools have become recruitment stages for the ongoing war, including teaching children how to use assault rifles and grenades. Stuffed with propaganda, these schools are methods of breeding recruits as opposed to nurturing young minds. Talankin puts himself in the line of fire by trying to go against such change; his chipper spirit and enthusiasm to teach get tested heavily by the negative shifts around him. It's another for him to even attempt to piece together such a film, and his efforts are beyond commendable. When you see the extent the Russian government is willing to go to in order to attack those they see as treasonous — like the subjects of films like Icarus and Navalny — because you know what kind of trouble Talankin can be in just by trying to even be heard.

*Mr Nobody Against Putin* feels like a more accessible look at Russia’s infiltration of Ukraine: perhaps a more digestible watch than the many harrowing documentaries that may be too much for some viewers.

Yet, here we are. Mr Nobody Against Putin is a little traditional in how it presents itself, perhaps because Talankin has kept his teacher's cap on with how he presents this information; I do think that a documentary-loving crowd can understand a subject like this if it was a little less spoon fed to them, but I understand the approach here. It's important to get these awful truths out there. I think that a film like this is mandatory viewing because it's not good enough to just know that such propaganda exists. One must see the extent and the damage done. We should also see that anyone can put up a good fight for the right cause. How many people are willing to be Talankin, even with the possible consequences? As the film progresses and his spark diminishes, we see a struggle. We see a man who knows what is to come, and it is somehow far more than what has already transpired. We see someone who knows how dire their cause is. We see Talankin recognize that he is beyond the point of no return: he is no longer a nobody, in the eyes of the masses and of the Putin government. How bittersweet can you get?

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.