Director: Sergei Loznitsa
Writers: Sergei Loznitsa, Georgy Demidov
Cast: Alexander Kuznetsov, Anatoliy Belily, Aleksandr Filippenko, Vytautas Kaniusonis, Andris Keiss, Valentin Novopolskij, Orest Pasko, Lukas Petrauskas, Sergey Podymin, Ivgeny Terletsky.
Release at Film Fest Ghent: 14/10/2025
Duration: 1h57

The film takes place in the Soviet Union at the height of the USSR in 1937. It offers a gripping look at Stalin’s Great Purge in Russia at that time. Two Prosecutors is Sergei’s first fiction film after Donbass (2018). The film is based on the book of the same name by Georgy Demidov. It features a mysterious letter ending up in the hands of a young prosecutor, newly appointed as a prison officer. The blood-written note makes mention of the abuse of power within the NKVD (secret police), and the intention to eliminate all party veterans and silence critical voices that could threaten Stalin’s rule.

The Story

The film opens with the view of a lock on a gate being opened. A prison gate.
The imagery is raw from the very beginning. Sergei draws you into the almost Kafkaesque, dogmatic workings of prison life. We see how a man in a cell is ordered to burn all correspondence from prisoners in the special unit of the prison. The man obeys but discovers a letter written in blood. He makes the brave decision to take the letter with him. The plea for justice reaches the hands of the young prosecutor Alexandr Kornyev, who decides to investigate it further. Kornyev (Aleksandr Kuznetsov) wants, in his conviction to correct injustice and accuse the corrupt authorities, to maintain also his moral purity as a young prosecutor. He does everything in his power to honor the request of the author of the letter, Stepniak, to visit him in his cell in the special ward.

When Kornyev, as a prison official working for the inspection service, submits a request to visit the prisoner to the prison commander, he immediately encounters resistance. He is confronted with excuses meant to break him and prevent the meeting from taking place. Hours of waiting, explanations as to why it should not happen, and so on. However, Kornyev is determined and hopes that by strictly following procedure he can make it happen. It is clear that the commander is not pleased with the “rejuvenation” of the judicial system and fears that internal abuse might be exposed. The looks and veiled remarks from the prison staff are deeply intimidating, without using physical or verbal aggression. The non-verbal aggression radiates from the screen, wrapped in the metaphor that everything is fine and no one is at fault , they are simply doing their job.

Even if Kornyev manages to speak to the detainee and gain insight into the situation, he must be extremely careful to walk in line.
Telling more about the plot is unnecessary in my view, as it may hinder the experience of watching this exceptional film. Two Prosecutors immerses you in grinding hours where the protagonist, driven by pure morality, tries to undo injustice. Together with the protagonist, you endure the extremely frustrating bureaucratic procedures of a country where citizens strictly follow what the regime dictates , or is that not entirely true?

Conclusie

Already in scene 1, you realize how the film will end , just not how, or by which detours. Director Sergei Loznitsa is known for offering insight into the often hidden sides of the Soviet Union. With cinematographer Oleg Mutu and production designers Yuriy Grigorovich and Aldis Meinerts, the film beautifully contrasts the affluent upper class with the cold, hopeless prisons. The grandeur of the upper class appears dignified but is permeated by an almost invisible corruption, enabling citizens to ignore the atrocities they witness. More importantly, citizens are always on guard, there are no real friends, only strategies to remain unseen. The State watches everything, and everyone is suspected of something.

The protagonist Alexandr Kornyev (Alexander Kuznetsov) symbolizes moral purity. This makes it emotionally exhausting as a viewer to witness the endless obstacles and corruption. Through his persistence in facing each new obstacle and following every rule, you see the character endure many stages of exhaustion. You want to believe that justice can prevail and that resistance in this way is possible. Does it succeed? You must watch Two Prosecutors, which is currently playing in select Belgian cinemas, release 5/11/2025.

Two Prosecutors is not flashy, and many may find the film too slow. It is indeed painfully slow, but this is intentional and meaningful. It is like a slow-acting poison placed into food. You must eat to survive, but with each spoonful you ingest a dose of poison.
Sergei has crafted everything in detail , every sound, every glance, every shadow, every object carries meaning and a story. This film demands far more from you than simply being entertained.

Two Prosecutors is essential in raising awareness, encouraging reflection about present times, even though the film is set nearly a hundred years ago.
The images may be built from the past, but the reality remains the same in Russia , and this should frighten us and make us ask: how close is this already coming to us?
Where do you, as an individual, choose not to participate in systems the society/regime declares desirable? When do you comply, and when do you encourage others to look beyond what the authorities claim is good?

Before and after the film, there was a short conversation with Alexander Kuznetsov, who portrays the protagonist with power and brilliance. His connection to the film is strong, as he himself comes from a Ukrainian-Russian family and has personally felt the threat of such a regime. When he, as an influential actor in Russia, questioned the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he was no longer safe there. He has since lived in several European countries. He cannot currently return. The sense , shown clearly in the film , that one must constantly watch what one says because someone may be listening, is the reality many young people grow up in. Alexander has never known anything else.

Personally, I find Two Prosecutors a very powerful film, and I am grateful that it can still be shown freely outside Russia. Bringing such themes back into light , themes that are far from gone , is a daring choice by Sergei. Yet it is his life’s mission.

Rating: 9.5

Text: Esmeralda Wolf