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Mar 15, 2015akirakato rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is a 2013 Russian-British documentary directed by Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin. The film follows the court cases on the Russian feminist & anti-Putinist punk-rock protest group Pussy Riot. The footage of the court proceedings and interviews with the families of the band members reveals how the world media influences Putin's mind. The trial and sentence attracted considerable criticism, particularly in the West. The case was adopted by human rights groups including Amnesty International, which designated the women prisoners of conscience, and by a wide range of musicians including Madonna, Sting, and Yoko Ono. Public opinion in Russia was generally less sympathetic towards the women. Putin stated that the band had "undermined the moral foundations" of the nation and "got what they asked for". Apparently, however, Putin is quite concerned about how the world media reacts to the court proceedings. It is a thought-provoking documentary in terms of how the world media influences the mind of a power-hungry leader like Putin.