Overview

• Debuting in competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, the film adapts Giuliano da Empoli’s novel with a screenplay by Olivier Assayas and Emmanuel Carrère.
• Jude Law said he does not fear repercussions for portraying Vladimir Putin and described the role as an exercise in conveying emotion behind a controlled public facade.
• Paul Dano plays Vadim Baranov, a fictional spin doctor modeled on Vladislav Surkov, anchoring a narrative that blends invention with recent Russian political history.
• Ongoing coverage reports a 156‑minute cut, with a release planned next year in Italy via 01 Distribution.
• Early reactions varied, from applause at press screenings to a scathing review that dismissed the film as a dull soap opera, while the festival day also featured Jim Jarmusch’s competition entry Father Mother Sister Brother.