Disbelief

Director Andrei Nekrasov's 2004 documentary focuses on the journey of Tatyana Morozova, a Muscovite living in America who learns that her mother was killed in a violent explosion that destroyed her Moscow apartment. Russian authorities quickly blamed Chechen terrorists for the attack, but Morozova's world is shattered further when an American journalist publishes a book claiming the FSB (the successor to the KGB) actually masterminded the bombing as a way to secure President Vladimir Putin's iron hold on power. Nekrasov has a compelling real-life story to tell, but sadly Disbelief never hits the nerves or emotions it should: what could've been a heart-pounding, soul-jolting exposé in the Costa-Gavras vein instead is an often meandering attempt to piece together the jagged pieces of the puzzle (it doesn't help much that Morozova's stoicism often comes across as either indifference or ennui, which is strange given the tragedy). There is much that can be said about the state of affairs in Russia, especially with an ex-KGB operative like Putin running a country that is increasingly veering away from the promise of political and economic freedom, but the film leaves the viewer in disbelief as it fails to penetrate either the mystery of the Moscow bombing or properly convey the shock and anger of the crime's aftermath. Optional. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)