Mr Nobody Against Putin (2025) Review

Mr. Nobody Against Putin is a film that I watched with my fists clenched. I was incredibly hurt and scared. It tells the story of Pavela Talankin, an ordinary teacher and event organizer from a small mining town in Russia who became a hero overnight, even though he never wanted to be.

His whole reality fell apart when Russia invaded Ukraine. At the school he cared about, lies took over fast — Pasha saw it happen. The propaganda machine engulfed the school he loved, and Pavela watched in horror as his ordinary life turned into a nightmare, where children were handed machine guns instead of knowledge.

The film balances on a fine line between absurdity and true nightmare. I went to a Russian school too, and the opening scenes evoked a bitter smile of recognition. But by the end, the grotesqueness made me want to cry and hide. It’s an accurate reflection of our reality, where absurdity gradually reveals its unbearably heavy essence.