Follows the man who survived an assassination attempt by poisoning with a lethal nerve agent in August 2020. During his months-long recovery, he makes shocking discoveries about the attempt on his life and decides to return home.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.2/10
IMDb: 7.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.89/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 82
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Daniel Roher
Production
Fishbowl Films, RaeFilm Studios, Cottage M, CNN Films
Cast
Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, Daria Navalnaya, Zakhar Navalny, Maria Pevchikh, Christo Grozev, Leonid Volkov, Kira Yarmysh, Georgy Alburov, Anna Biryukova, Fidelius Schmid, Tim Lister, Clarissa Ward, Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A gripping political documentary that plays like a real-life thriller, anchored by extraordinary access and one unforgettable phone-call sequence. It’s especially compelling if you want urgent, contemporary nonfiction with suspense, moral stakes, and a strong human center.
Best for
viewers who like political thrillers based on real events
fans of high-stakes investigative documentaries
audiences interested in modern Russian politics and anti-corruption stories
people who appreciate charismatic on-camera subjects
viewers drawn to tense, propulsive nonfiction
Skip if
you want a neutral, detached journalistic overview
you prefer documentaries with a broader historical scope
you’re looking for a purely observational or formally experimental film
you’re sensitive to stories involving poisoning, imprisonment, or political repression
Overview
Navalny is one of those documentaries that feels stranger and more suspenseful than fiction. Daniel Roher builds the film around access, timing, and a central figure who is unusually funny, defiant, and self-aware even in the middle of a life-or-death crisis. The result is less a standard profile than a political thriller with real consequences.
Worth noting
What makes it so effective is the way it turns investigation into drama. The film’s most famous sequence is astonishing on its own, but it also sharpens the larger portrait: a man surviving an assassination attempt, then choosing to go back anyway. That decision gives the documentary its emotional charge and its bleak, galvanizing momentum.
Bottom line
Even if you come in skeptical of the subject or the surrounding politics, the craft is hard to deny. It is urgent, accessible, and built to keep you leaning forward. As a piece of nonfiction storytelling, it’s one of the most memorable documentaries of its year.
Top Letterboxd reviews
amandabw (4.5★) · 1812 likes
Truly a badass move to cold call your attempted murderers to ask for a performance review
Brian Tallerico (4★) · 1305 likes
The phone call scene is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.
davidehrlich (3.5★) · 640 likes
At the very least, Daniel Roher’s “Navalny” hinges on one of the most remarkable moments I’ve ever seen in a documentary. It’s just after sunrise on a snow-white morning in December 2020, and the film’s namesake — gregarious Russia of the Future leader and fearless Putin critic Alexei Navalny — sits at the kitchen table of the remote German cabin where he’s been hiding since FSB agents tried and failed to assassinate him with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok four… more At the very least, Daniel Roher’s “Navalny” hinges on one of the most remarkable moments I’ve ever seen in a documentary. It’s just after sunrise on a snow-white morning in December 2020, and the film’s namesake — gregarious Russia of the Future leader and fearless Putin critic Alexei Navalny — sits at the kitchen table of the remote German cabin where he’s been hiding since FSB agents tried and failed to assassinate him with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok four… more
Joe A (4.5★) · 617 likes
Moscow1. Moscow2. Moscow3. Moscow4.I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen (or ever will see) anything more wild than the telephone scene.
Staggering. Frustrating. Compelling. I hope the whole world sees this.
Oscar Gauntlet- 28/54