Written by Andreas Babiolakis

We’re covering the Academy Award nominees that we haven’t reviewed yet.

Icarus is a documentary that won an Academy Award a few years ago. It detailed the doping of Russian athletes specifically during the winter Olympics hosted in their motherland. Of course, the film landed all that were associated in hot water, and I'm not going to place myself in a similar position (not that this review will likely be read, let's be honest). I point Icarus out because 2022's Navalny feels like a sister film: one full of immense danger – given its revelations of corruption in Russia – that has been widely recognized on this side of the ocean. It is an explosive film that doesn't need any embellishments to get by. It surrounds Alexei Navalny: an opposition leader that rallies against the Russian government, and his suspicious poisoning during a flight to Moscow. Take from that what you will.

Daniel Roher's shocking film feels more like a political thriller shot to resemble a documentary, but, alas, this is non-fiction. As we hear discussions in hidden locations, we see Navalny and a couple of journalists tap into a nefarious bigger picture: one that even the titular figure didn't account for when he wanted answers to his questionable illness. Without ever featuring much footage of the government, you can still feel it looming over the entirety of Navalny, as if you yourself will get into a difficult situation just for even watching this documentary. Yet here it is nominated for an Academy Award, and a winner of numerous other accolades (including a Critic's Choice Documentary Award). Navalny feels like it shouldn't exist because of the very tyranny it is combating against, but it continues to make its rounds in filmic circuits and on streaming services. You'll have to watch the film to see what I mean: Navalny possesses a lot of power.

There isn't much to report about Navalny in regards to the cinematic medium it is a part of, and I think that is a good thing. It's not crafted to feel particularly like art or some sort of creation. It's just a documentative article that records and displays information that couldn't have been delivered in any other way. Major kudos has to be delivered to Toronto native Roher, whose documentary feels like one of the most untainted pieces of journalism of last year. This could have been his time to bust out the big gimmicks and tricks to make this feature truly sparkle, but he placed integrity at the top of his list of priorities. Navalny may not be the easiest watch if you’re feeling the weight of the world presently (believe me, this feels like a bombshell), but it is most certainly one of the more important films of 2022 to check out at some point. If Icarus can continue to leave an impact as a whistle-blower documentary, I believe Navalny will have a similar legacy.

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.