Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

Co-directors Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin's fast-moving documentary premiered while two members of the feminist art collective Pussy Riot were still incarcerated for a world-headline-making 2012 church protest. After looking at that key event that landed Nadia, Katia, and Masha in prison, the film backtracks to the reelection of Vladimir Putin, the man who inspired the group's formation. Nadia explains that the group chose the Russian Orthodox Church because “it symbolizes the union of church and state.” Her father, Andrei, supported her efforts, and even contributed lyrics to the performed song “A Punk Prayer,” but Katia's father, Stanislav, regrets that the women didn't choose a lower profile location. After being arrested, the women stayed in a detention center while opposition groups voiced their support. One Orthodox practitioner describes Nadia as a “demon with a brain,” while Western celebrities such as Yoko Ono and Madonna speak out on their behalf. If these young women come across as somewhat naïve and idealistic, it's also hard to sympathize with local media figures who characterize them as a destructive force, even though they did no harm to the church. After six months, a trial unfolds during which the women watch from cages (which seems barbaric). By refusing to repent, they seal their fate, albeit while scoring a moral victory. As Masha says to the court, “Nobody can take my inner freedom.” A clear-eyed documentary about an unusual act of political protest (all of the women are now free), this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)