Jossaboss To fully appreciate this documentary, you should have no idea about the political situation in Russia today. This film weaves a fictitious web about NASHI, in our Western MSM described as a Russian youth organization, much like Hitler Jugend, tasked with creating enemies within Russia. The purpose of the movie is to provide a so called inside picture of Putin and his friends. Elegantly we are taken on make to believe journey where Putin's mind less drones are attacking those labeled as enemies, opposition or Western friendly, and celebrating nationalism, pro-government and militarism. For the general viewer, the story is well framed and sits well with other current and not so current stories about Russia and its leader.

lkfitz I agree with the other posters who have said that the style of this doc was unnatural and contrived. It didn't have a candid "real life" feel to it; it was like a loosely scripted reality show at times. There were culture shock moments however, like when Masha talked about what book she'd like to burn, and the march was very interesting. The vast membership of Nashi, the aggression behind the group, the funding, and all the details which made it clear that it was a tool for leveraging political control, like a mini FSB was all very intriguing. Overall though this film felt very amateur and it crossed my mind a couple of times that it could be opposition propaganda rather than a legitimate documentary. For a topic of this magnitude they should've had a much larger and more diverse pool of people to interview. With the scope of perspective being so small, the documentary felt more like a school project.

Sam N My issues with this film were as follows: - young people acting like idiots (destroying things, beating people up, 'vandalizing' cars, acting out for cameras, joining cult-like groups and leaving them as relationships go hot/cold) is hardly proof of any kind of conspiracy other than young people in Russia are the same as young people everywhere. And that douche-bag men with napoleon complexes will take advantage of them. - the Masha girl whose character arc was the film's arc was completely unbelievable. The tragedy of her is completely common - for a brief time when she was 16-17, she was very attractive. Men treated her well. Because she was a child, she didn't realize that she was being used. (To say she had a position of power in Nashi based on that film is ridiculous, as her power was directly linked to how much the leader wanted her around - that's not real power). As he gets tired of her, she moves on to where she can get that attention from someone else- a group of reporters from the other side (ohhhhh so extreme) (she calls them her friends while they describe her joining their group as great 'social entertainment, to see what will happen'). -She says it herself in her tips of public speaking: 'if you have to give an opinion, believe in it.' (paraphrased) she brainwashes herself to whatever role gets the attention. It's sad for her (although hardly unique). But it also undercuts any believability in this documentary. She's always posing for someone - whether for the leader of Nashi, the danish reporter, the director, or someone else - her 'conversations' are re-enacted and scripted into this role that doesn't seem any more authentic than anything else about her.

Matthew Stechel As someone who has very little idea what the political system in Russia has been like post Communism, all i can do is remember half formed memories about Gorbechev (remember the naked gun 2 and a half?) and half read articles about Putin from the last couple of years of hastily scanned newspaper coverage, i'm definitely not the ideal guy to say if this movie was great at depicting politically motivated Russian youth. However as a movie with a story that has a beginning, middle, and an end it works OK more or less. Story follows this teenage girl through the ranks of the Nashi youth political movement (again no idea how accurate this comparison is--but it kind of strikes me as a Russian equivalent to the "young republicans" clubs that exist on college campuses and try to be all politically active here in the states--only with severe post communist fears and paranoia about "the other"--you know the whole "if you're not with me then you're my enemy" mentality and of course waay more dangerous thanks to its government sponsoring.) As a movie--the hour and a half runnning time goes by all right enough--but i'd say roughly around the halfway point my interest started to lag just a bit--once the twenty year old version of the former teenage girl starts intersecting and fully investing herself in the plight of the reporter who we've been seeing talking in interviews about her already--the movie kind of tails off in a predictable direction--which isn't a bad thing except there's still roughly a half hour or so left of movie to get through. The subject matter was interesting enough (and informative enough--its certainly something i as the cluess American know very little about, so the doc does an excellent job of giving a informal primer on the background of rhe world of its leading lady and where she comes from.)However, the end of the movie still left me wondering why this particular person was worth knowing about...or why her story was worth a documentary of its very own. At the end of the movie, the young woman certainly seems wiser about whom she'll blindly follow around politically and whom she sees as "an enemy" but most teens aren't that wise--which makes me wonder if she's supposed to be a moral lesson for other Russian youths? I suppose she is which is nice but what was I--Joe America supposed to take away from all of this? Don't be a political pawn?