Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

  • 2025
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
435
YOUR RATING
Pavel Talankin in Mr. Nobody Against Putin (2025)
Watch Trailer [OV]
Play trailer2:05
1 Video
6 Photos
Documentary

A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school's transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid prop... Read allA Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school's transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarization.A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school's transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarization.

  • Directors
    • David Borenstein
    • Pavel Talankin
  • Writer
    • David Borenstein
  • Stars
    • Viktor Abakumov
    • Lavrenti Beria
    • Yevhen Konovalets
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    435
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • David Borenstein
      • Pavel Talankin
    • Writer
      • David Borenstein
    • Stars
      • Viktor Abakumov
      • Lavrenti Beria
      • Yevhen Konovalets
    • 13User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 9 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 2:05
    Trailer [OV]

    Photos5

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast6

    Edit
    Viktor Abakumov
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Lavrenti Beria
    Lavrenti Beria
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Yevhen Konovalets
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Vladimir Putin
    Vladimir Putin
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Joseph Stalin
    Joseph Stalin
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Pavel Sudoplatov
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • Directors
      • David Borenstein
      • Pavel Talankin
    • Writer
      • David Borenstein
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews13

    8.0435
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7peter0969

    How relevant it is makes it emotional and heartwarming

    Watched at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

    The exploration of how Pavel Talankin navigates through the school's in Russia and the politics he surrounds himself and others makes a more emotional and purposeful observation. With good camerawork, fun energy and a likable personality from Pavel himself, Pavel Talankin doesn't shy away from the conflicting politics happening in the current times in Russia and offers to make sacrifices to show the issues and what is needed to be explored.

    With good music work, discussions from people, and emotionally explorations of the themes of innocence and war, the filmmakers including Pavel makes things thoughtful and great. Especially with how Russia and the current politics are happening, it touches me and I feel invested with the journey Pavel was in.

    Obviously, it does suffer from some pacing issues regarding the midpoint but I did enjoy it. As a whole, I do hope Pavel Talankin remains safe because knowing how Russia is and their system, Pavel has risked himself and I hope no further troubles will carry around with him for long.
    8andreasonne_

    In the shadow of power

    In an age where autocracy tightens its grip and dissenters disappear without a trace, this documentary emerges as a stark and timely reflection on resistance. The film follows an everyman who finds himself inadvertently drawn into a quiet confrontation with one of the world's leaders. The title is evoking Kafkaesque anonymity, and the film's greatest strength is its restraint. There are no grandstanding monologues just the suffocating tension of a man who loves his country, his town, his presence in society, but is against the regime and the war against Ukraine.

    Visually, Mr. Nobody Against Putin captures the haunting contradictions of modern Russia. The beauty of a frozen landscape at minus 45 degrees sits uneasily alongside the brutalist remnants of Soviet architecture. There is warmth in the people, their resilience, their humour but also the omnipresence of state control. The film lingers on chilling images: children marching through school corridors, clutching rifles with solemn determination.

    The documentary does not offer easy catharsis. It does not promise a hero's victory or a resolution. Instead, it delivers something more unsettling: a creeping awareness that injustice can happen anywhere. To anyone. When they least expect it.
    10vcstqdc

    Must see movie

    Pasha, I just had the pleasure of watching your film at Sundance. It was absolutely incredible! The camera work and film quality were brilliant. Thank you so much for the information that you shared and the risks you took to send it. Thank you for your bravery.

    To everyone looking to watch this film please do not hesitate. Regardless of your political position or beliefs I think you will find this movie informative. The pacing is excellent and the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat as you become invested in this tiny town and the hardships that come for its citizens who are being drawn into the war. It's an incredibly relevant and important film.

    Thank you again to everyone who worked on this! Well done!
    8Dilip

    Fighting militarization and propaganda in a Russian school

    I saw 'Mr. Nobody Against Putin' at a film festival in early April 2025. Not only did I enjoy the film, especially learning about the fun and brave main character and co-director Pavel "Pasha" Ilyich Talankin, but I got to enjoy a Q&A session and later talk with the other co-director, David Borenstein.

    Pasha is from a town of 10,000 in the Ural Mountains of Russia and has a job of organizing events and documenting them and everyday life at a school (K-12?). Things change dramatically when Russia invades Ukraine and schools are asked to give not just scripted patriotic pro-war education, but also are exposed to military education, including marching in uniform, having grenade throwing competitions, and more.

    Pasha is a hero; he loves his students who look to him for safe conversations and a space in his video office/classroom. What he does in the face of government militarization of the classroom makes for a fascinating story.
    7cutie7

    Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage

    This was such a powerful watch. It's not often I get the chance to see a film in Russian on the big screen, and the experience really hit me hard. The story unfolded with such intimacy and weight that I found myself holding my breath at times - it left a lump in my throat I couldn't quite shake.

    What I loved most was how it balanced the personal with the political - it wasn't just a story about resistance, but about humanity, choices, and the quiet courage of ordinary people. Some parts were confronting, but that's what made it so important and unforgettable.

    More like this

    Coexistence, My Ass!
    8.0
    Coexistence, My Ass!
    Cutting Through Rocks
    7.8
    Cutting Through Rocks
    The Perfect Neighbor
    8.1
    The Perfect Neighbor
    The Dating Game
    7.5
    The Dating Game
    Predators
    7.6
    Predators
    2000 Meters to Andriivka
    8.7
    2000 Meters to Andriivka
    Facing War
    8.4
    Facing War
    André Is an Idiot
    8.3
    André Is an Idiot
    Slave Island
    8.4
    Slave Island
    DJ Ahmet
    7.6
    DJ Ahmet
    Omaha
    7.5
    Omaha
    Writing Hawa
    8.6
    Writing Hawa

    Related interests

    Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
    Documentary

    Storyline

    Edit

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 22, 2025 (Denmark)
    • Countries of origin
      • Denmark
      • Czech Republic
      • Germany
    • Languages
      • Russian
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Pan Nikt kontra Putin
    • Filming locations
      • Karabash, Chelyabinskaya oblast, Russia
    • Production companies
      • Made in Copenhagen
      • Pink Productions
      • ZDF/Arte
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.