Mr. Nobody deserves his Oscar

Like many of the 2025 Oscar prognosticators, my great record got undermined when Mr. Nobody Against Putin won best documentary. Well, most of us critics never received a screener of the film, while we could easily catch the excellent and unsettling Perfect Neighbor project on Netflix so we listed that as predicted winner. But recent access to Mr. Nobody shows why it won.  Like the previous year’s victor No Other Land, Mr. Nobody Against Putin shows a filmmaker taking great risks against his country’s government. In this case, Mr. Nobody, aka teacher Pavel Tankan smuggles footage out of Karabash to show changes mandated when Russia invaded Ukraine. As events coordinator at his school,

Tankan wandered halls and classrooms using top quality video and sound equipment to record activities without initially causing too much concern or questioning. He captures the start of government mandated indoctrination policies and attitudes, including one teacher telling students that no dissenting views should exist.  This all goes against Tankan’s own attitudes about education, explained in his narration when he says he loves his job but does not want to be a pawn. He also loves film, which shows in the care of his shots, especially when the military comes to one classroom to show off weapons. Tankan ends the segment with a close-up image on the face of a beautiful young boy pointing a gun towards the camera. Tankan includes both pro and anti-war demonstrations, and narration bemoans his own lack of daring because he is quote “not brave like the protesters.” But of course, his ultimate escape and film prove just the opposite—Mr. Nobody shows remarkable courage by creating a film that deserves respect, admiration, and that documentary Oscar.