“Putin is driving the current authoritarian drift”

off road Olivier Assayas (Paris, 1955) reviewed various controversial political figures such as Ilich Ramírez Sánchez v Carlos (2010) and a quintet of spies known as Cinco de Cuba in Red avespa (2019). Now, en Wizard of the Kremlinwhich connects these wines to the rooms, emphasizes the rise of Vladimir Putin (Jude Law), supported by his shadow ideologue Vladislav Surkov (Paul Dano).

The difference from the previous ones is that the French filmmaker considered them as historical films, where human stories pulse even behind the political veil. There you have it the rediscovery of power in modern times and its derivatives in true totalitarianism.

Please. Is power always sex?

Response. I never intended to present it this way. Most of all I want to show you cruelty, but what is free to feel seduced by brutality. What excited me about Giuliano da Empoli’s book of the same name, which we adapted, is that it speaks to the power of a new way, synchronous with the deep and disturbing changes of our time.

P. Do you have a better understanding of real geopolitics after such an informative film?

R. I learned that Putin can do exactly what he announced he would do. Their strategic goals are simple: to restore the sphere of influence of the former Soviet Union.

» I’m no expert on politics, but that’s about it. If one day you want to invade the Baltic countries, you can do it in two hours. Technically, we don’t have media to oppose us. This is very present in Latvia, where exactly we came from.

P. Surkov was called a poet of power and Putin’s Rasputin. What do you think best describes it?

R. Yeah I would dream of the Wizard of Oz: someone who gives me, who seems to control it all, but in reality it works through the curtain of humor and it’s all appearances. When I started working in the dude with Emmanuel Carrère, we were just reflecting Surkov’s shadow. We do not expect Paul Dano to imitate him if we want to analyze what he represents intellectually.

P. How do you approach the dynamics of Donald Trump from your point of view?

R. It is difficult to compare such distinct personalities. We know how much Putin’s Russia is afraid of democracyand what he set in motion is the engine of the current authoritarian drift. From time to time more managers emerge who build a strategy based on the ideas that are created around them. It’s like a software who at a given moment flew to the freedom for which the whole world is burning.

»I will land to see the European democratic system disintegrating before our eyes. And I am particularly concerned about the weakness of the opposition. I have always had an aversion to Donald Trumpbut until then I did not imagine that he would assume so many times the logic that can be classified as a “boxer”.

P. In contrast to the manism of the blockade policy, good and evil are mixed here.

R. I don’t believe in the ambiguity of evil. Evil is evil, but the one who embodies it is human. And it is not possible to dehumanize the child, because we are entering the territory of lies. You were very present to George Orwell during the journey: it was a story that he was afraid to meet his enemies and respect them.

P. Looking for your cinematography references for a French war film?

R. It may seem paradoxical thought about it Ascension of Louis XIV (1966) by Robert Rossellini, Because current propaganda techniques are built on models similar to those used by King Sol to consolidate his power.

P. Why did he start in English?

R. It was not a choice, but a condition. I would have liked to ride it in Russia and in Russia, but it was not possible. Now we can work with actors from all over the world because they are older. For our ambitions and assumptions, we either have it in English or we don’t. Pressure was more economical than self-censorship. The age of English is what brings universality.

P. What is the criteria for choosing actors?

R. With Paul Dan, this was evident from the beginning: An established actor with a reputation is needed for Surkovbelievable in her young version just like Madura. In the same way, Paul has something Slavic that brings truth.

»Jude Law, on the one hand, not if Putin sees it that waybut it could be reinvented from the inside out, as a whole. Here is an extraordinary work: at certain moments it introduces a very disturbing seed.

Aplastada experience

P. Wizard of the Kremlin it shows the moment after the collapse of the Soviet Union, chaotic but full of hope.

R. I am not a specialist on Russia, but I was there in the early 90s and met young students who are learning about art in the future. Luego Esperanza was aplastada por el poder ‘pugilista’.

P. Is there any hope?

R. There is always hope, but Russia is a country where opposition is absent and censorship is practiced. Not if he breathes freedom. But even if we look at the worst now, something good can arise that we can only imagine today.

P. What would give you optimism?

R. For example, If the regime of the mullahs came to Iran. I have the greatest admiration for figures like Alexei Navalny, who for me represents heroism in Russia. The value of the opposition is a reason to maintain faith in the country’s future. But I don’t know who should be getting advice about hotel comfort in Paris.