A Defiant Teacher Witnesses the Militarization of Russian Schools Amid Ukraine War in Poignant Doc
With the snappy casualness of a “day in the life” vlog, Pavel “Pasha” Talankin, a charismatic Russian teacher who serves as planner and videographer for all of his school’s events, introduces his peculiar small town: Karabash. Known as the most toxic place on Earth due to a copper smelting plant, here the average life expectancy is 38 and cancer affects the population disproportionally. It’s in this maligned place that Pasha has built a safe haven with his classroom, fostering friendships between students and pushing them to explore their creativity. Pasha works in the same school he attended and where his mother still works as a diligent librarian. Teaching couldn’t be more personal for him. Thus, when President Putin’s unchecked propaganda antics threaten his noble efforts, he springs into action.
Almost exclusively assembled from footage Pasha himself captured, the Sundance premiere documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” from director David Borenstein (Talankin is credited as co-director), chronicles the disturbing militarization of Russian schools in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Through the eyes of its delightfully brave, yet utterly relatable subject (also the de facto cinematographer), this terrifying, revelatory and poignant exposé offers an unseen human angle on an ongoing conflict that’s continues to be widely addressed in documentary cinema.
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Orders have come from Putin’s government to ditch regular lessons. Teachers must now read from approved materials, claiming that Ukraine is run by radicals and that Russia’s enemies are trying to destabilize the country by hiring locals as disruptors. Outside of the school’s premises, pro-war rallies evoke the same brainwashed atmosphere as MAGA demonstrations stateside. As someone whose job already involves holding a camera and filming everything relevant occurring inside the school, Pasha partners with artists outside his home country and begins shooting with the intent of divulging the takeover of education. Speaking directly to the camera, the teacher turned filmmaker also records unguarded confessionals. He saves his most dejected thoughts for these solitary sessions.
On the opposite end of the teaching spectrum is Pavel Abdulmanov, a man from an older generation who ardently peddles the state-sanctioned curriculum. In one his outrageously deceiving lessons, Abdulmanov tells his pupils that in the United States there are protests in support of Russia. And while this classroom propagandist, with a fondness for Stalin’s most ruthless men, may be inflating the facts (as he and the other teachers are instructed to do), the parallels between Putin’s regime and what American conservatives wish for their own country astound. Anytime a far-right online troll or a talking head on cable news invokes the idea that those who don’t unconditionally revere the United States should leave, they are essentially employing the same rhetoric as the Russian state: a desire for ideological homogeneity via the violent obliteration of dissent. That’s sure to unsettle viewers in the West, even if the filmmakers don’t explicitly invoke the similarities.
To keep shooting, Pasha must suppress his rage and only dares to carry out small protests — such as playing the U.S. national anthem sung by Lady Gaga — but those are enough to earn him suspicion. In their collaboration, the filmmakers succeed at exemplifying the impact of the Kremlin’s decisions through the lens of Pasha’s daily interactions inside a single school. When Putin passes a law that will sentence anyone deemed a “traitor to the motherland” to life in prison, the stakes of Pasha’s incognito mission gain alarming significance. Images of the leader making outrageous statements are interspersed throughout, not only to provide context but for the doc to make good on its title: Putin feels like Pasha’s direct adversary, the embodiment of what he’s fighting against.
Likely for security reasons, few details are shared about the teacher’s allies abroad and their involvement in the making of the doc. The same goes for Pasha’s personal life — no friends outside of the institution, no romantic partner and no other family members appear. The origin story behind his unwavering vocation to help the youth, which is never in doubt, and why he didn’t pursue a different professional path is unfortunately also absent. Even as reserved as this self-portrait is, Pasha’s bubbly personality comes through with genuine infectiousness. Pasha does speak about feeling different from other boys growing up, which can be interpreted as him covertly speaking about his sexual orientation — a challenging subject still in Russian society. That’s as intimate as he goes.
Still, Pasha’s interactions with current and former students demonstrate his unique place within the academic ecosystem, and the conviction that guides his defiant documentation. For most of these kids, he’s the most revolutionary force they’ve ever encountered in a world of fear-inducting indoctrination. Misha, a girl whose brother has been conscripted to the frontlines, transforms from a vivacious teen to a gloomy one burdened with the latent possibility of tragedy. Then there’s Vanya, a mild-mannered young man drafted into the conflict. During a get-together his closest friends — Pasha included — help him shave his head. Despite their attempts at lightheartedness, the night ends in tears and weary goodbyes. Why wouldn’t it if the number of deceased Russian soldiers continues to grow while Putin’s regime downplays the extend of the national casualties?
Late in the film, Borenstein includes harrowing audio of an event too risky for Pasha to get video of, yet integral to the emotional heft of his account. What happens to these students when someone like him can no longer be present? That’s a question the filmmaking partners leave unanswered, perhaps because it’s too painful to ponder. The image of an empty classroom, once overflowing with laughter, however, packs a deafening silence.
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