Directed, Written and Produced by Patryk Vega
Starring
Sławomir Sobala – Vladimir Putin (enhanced with AI to resemble Putin’s likeness)
Kalina Wysocka – Tanya
Thomas Kretschmann
Tomasz Dedek – Boris Yeltsin
Justyna Karlowska – Legion
Maksymilian Zielinski
Cinematography Michal Goscik
Edited by Tomasz Widarski
Music by Łukasz Targosz
Production company Vega Investments
Release date 10 January 2025
Countries Poland United States Malta
Language English
Budget $15 million
Putin caught a lot of critical attention right from the get-go, simply because it’s the first film made to use AI to make the actor performing the role of the main subject exactly resemble said subject. Vladimir “Vova” Putin was a sensible choice since his mien is somewhat unco and frigid, a living example of uncanny valley. Given his power and viciousness, perhaps a risky chance, too. Patryk Vega might want to avoid buildings more than two storeys high.
In any event, the AI is surprisingly convincing.
There are ethical questions about using AI in film, and they will be raised in this instance because by thirty seconds into the movie, it’s evident that it was not made with Putin’s blessing or even permission.
The screen displays “2026” and shows a badly palsied and shivering Putin, naked but for a very large diaper, clearly nearing the end of his life. He’s lying on an institutional floor, in squalor and filth. It’s safe to say this Polish-made production is not going to be a hagiography of the hated and feared figure.
The movie is essentially a biography of the Russian leader, but if the use of AI is unique, the method of story-telling eclipses that. To say the result is riveting and compelling is an understatement.
It shows Putin’s mother dropping him off at a nightmare of a place that was about as close as the Soviet Union ever got to a child-care facility. Children are lined up, Kopeks in hand, for “dinner” – a large shot of vodka, with an optional pickle as a chaser. A bully, perhaps 12, promptly beats up Putin, and then, sensing something, lectures Putin on standing up to bullies. And adds a few other life lessons.
Both the mother figure and the bully become something of spirit guides for Putin as he ravages his way to the top. Visible to only Putin and unageing, they advise and criticize him. At key events, they often merely stand in the close background, nodding or shaking their heads at Putin’s actions. If you think of the silly cartoon angel/devil on the shoulders meme, she’s the good angel, and he’s the demon. As you might imagine, he tends to prevail, although Putin is shown having unexpected bouts of self-loathing and doubt.
He is mostly shown as he usually is: rapacious, ruthless, with unbounded cruelty and greed. While the conversations and other specifics are doubtlessly fictionalized, the events are true.
Patryk Vega has done a superb job of portraying the world’s most famous, powerful, and wealthy man, one who owns an American President and trillions of dollars, in a way that fascinates even as it repels.
Imagine waking up to find a hooded cobra waving angrily at you inches from your nose. This film has that affect.
Now on Amazon Prime, and I’m amazed Bezos worked up the courage to run it.