Assayas's 'The Wizard of the Kremlin' Fails as Political Critique

Olivier Assayas's film 'The Wizard of the Kremlin,' adapted from Giuliano da Empoli's novel, fictionalizes the rise of Vladimir Putin through the eyes of strategist Vadim Baranov, based on real-life adviser Vladislav Surkov. The movie features real figures like Boris Berezovsky, Garry Kasparov, Eduard Limonov, Igor Sechin, and Yevgeny Prigozhin, but Assayas's ambiguous fictionalization distracts from historical truth. The film focuses on strategies of power rather than ideologies, portraying Vadim as a master of method, not principle. Assayas's urbane aesthetic avoids the specifics of loathsome doctrines, resulting in a politically passive film that fails to critique democracy's threats. The movie's structure—Vadim's narration to a Yale professor—limits perspective to the bubble of executive power, ignoring the populace's moral compass. Assayas co-wrote with Emmanuel Carrère; Jude Law plays Putin. The film premiered in 2024.