Overview

• The film, set during Stalin's Great Purge in 1937, follows a young prosecutor's futile efforts to seek justice within an oppressive Soviet system dominated by the NKVD.
• Adapted from Georgy Demidov's novella, the manuscript was seized by the KGB in 1980 and published posthumously in 2009 after decades of suppression.
• Critics describe the film as a chilling allegory, drawing parallels between historical totalitarianism and contemporary authoritarian trends under leaders like Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
• Loznitsa's return to fiction filmmaking follows a focus on documentaries, including works addressing the Russia-Ukraine war, and marks his third Palme d’Or bid at Cannes.
• Early reviews highlight the film's formal rigor and its relevance as a cautionary tale for modern democracies grappling with the erosion of rule of law.