Οι Ανεπιθύμητοι Φίλοι μου: Μέρος Α' - Ο Τελευταίος Αέρας στη Μόσχα

Michael Sicinski

I try to avoid hyperbole.But I don't think there is a more important piece of media on the contemporary landscape. It's like watching a preview of Trump's America, a few years ahead. This film should be entered into the Congressional record.And for god's sake, make sure your passport is up to date.UPDATE: Here is my extended review of My Undesirable FriendsAnd here is my interview with Loktev.

Brian Tallerico5.0

“In Nazi Germany, people also sat and waited and hoped things would be OK.”

Kevflix And Chill4.0

My Undesirable Friends is a gripping, ground-level chronicle of Russian journalists doing their jobs in the month leading up to the invasion of Ukraine and the chaotic weeks that follow. It’s urgent and frightening,watching these reporters navigate the ever-tightening restrictions of Putin’s regime. Facing harassment, censorship, and the threat of being labeled foreign agents as they witness colleagues subjected to raids and even imprisonment. It’s also alarming how quickly their situation turns. One day they’re cautiously but openly reporting, and the next, the walls close in with suffocating speed. Watching this in close succession with Cover-Up, it becomes a stark reminder of the fragile but essential role a free press plays in resisting state power.Oddly, I’m not sure why this is being categorized as a “movie.” Structurally it plays much more like a docuseries, broken into four or five distinct chapters, each with its own credits roll. It actually makes for a natural, episodic viewing experience if you want to take breaks between sections. But format aside, the filmmaking is excellent. A powerful snapshot of journalism under pressure and the cost of insisting on reality when a government demands a fiction.