Part I — A Review of ‘Last Air in Moscow’

A tyrannical ruler presiding over an oppressive regime. A relentless campaign against investigative journalists. A government made up entirely of fervent supporters. Agents with the power to scrutinize the financial records and private data of citizens. Journalists who speak out against the administration facing intimidation, threats, and potential legal repercussions.

Which country are we discussing?

If the events depicted in Julia Loktev’s compelling 5½-hour documentary My Undesirable Friends seem reminiscent of contemporary issues, you may be surprised to learn that it does not focus on the United States during President Trump’s second term, but rather on Russia in 2021.

Loktev documents a group of journalists in the months leading up to the invasion of Ukraine, capturing the fleeting moments of an anti-authoritarian movement that dispersed when conflict erupted. This insightful yet demanding exploration of journalism within a crumbling democracy is a significant watch—provided you can commit to its full 324-minute runtime. The climax particularly underscores the dire consequences that can unfold, offering a glimpse into what could lie ahead for America.

The complete title of the film is My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow, representing the first segment of a two-part series that Loktev began filming in December 2021. Structured in five chronological segments, the documentary focuses on a group of investigative journalists, all women, who were labeled as “foreign agents” under stringent laws intended to suppress dissent against President Vladimir Putin.

Facing oppressive regulations and the looming threat of arrest, these courageous women persist in their work—writing articles, producing news segments, and creating podcasts—until the catastrophic day of February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, forever altering their lives.

Loktev, originally from St. Petersburg but primarily raised in the U.S., gains access to this group through her old friend Anna Nemzer (who is also co-director), a journalist with two shows on the independent news platform TV Rain. At the film’s outset, the network continues to function in Russia, albeit under severe restrictions, including a mandate to broadcast that all their content is fabricated by foreign agents.

In spite of the repressive atmosphere, Nemzer and her fellow journalists find ways to continue their work, often utilizing humor to cope with their dire circumstances. “It’s like a wake, but a fun one,” one reporter describes the mood. Nemzer is more straightforward about their plight, stating that the current situation represents a “rape of justice,” predicting they will soon have to choose between legal repercussions and fleeing their homeland.

Throughout the film, Loktev captures raw, unscripted moments of dialogue and thought—whether in the office, at home, or traversing the icy streets of Moscow—reflecting the mounting sense of anxiety as the government intensifies its crackdown and the war looms closer. The film’s candid style occasionally makes it feel as though Loktev has laid out all her footage without a cohesive edit. While a more concise version could have been more engaging, the aim of My Undesirable Friends is to document the fragile democratic movement that was ultimately doomed.

In addition to Nemzer, the film highlights the other journalists featured alongside her, each deserving recognition as a hero: Ksenia Mironova, Sonya Groysman, Olga Churakova, Irina Dolinina, Aleysa Marokhovskaya, and Elena Kostyuchenko.

Each reporter grapples with their designation as foreign agents, hiring legal counsel for trials where the outcomes appear predetermined. They endure emotional breakdowns from the relentless harassment they face in both their professional and personal lives. With their communications monitored, they receive threatening messages, and their movements are shadowed by observers, all while facing potential assassination—a fate already suffered by several journalists and opposition figures like Boris Nemtsov, for whom they hold a vigil, leading to further arrests.

While Nemzer takes center stage in the early parts of the film, the focus gradually shifts to Ksenia “Ksyusha” Mironova, a young and intrepid reporter for TV Rain. She is also engaged to journalist Ivan Safronov, who has been imprisoned for over a year as he awaits his sentence (which ultimately leads to a 22-year prison sentence). As the invasion of Ukraine unfolds, it becomes evident that Mironova, along with her colleagues, must escape, leaving behind a beloved who she may never see again.

The documentary’s gripping final chapters, titled “The Expected Impossible” and “Don’t Say War,” depict the anxiety felt by the group as Russian forces gather at the Ukrainian border, creating an atmosphere of inevitability surrounding war, even as some cling to hope. One fateful night in February, while driving through Moscow, Nemzer witnesses fireworks above the Kremlin—an ominous sign she recognizes all too well from the last time they occurred, coinciding with the Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Loktev, known for her subtly impactful independent films, such as Day Night Day Night (2006) and The Loneliest Planet (2011), crafts a slow-burning real-life thriller that resonates long after viewing. Her intimate portrayal of totalitarian Russia raises uncomfortable parallels to the emerging trends seen under Trump’s new administration, who has openly expressed admiration for authoritarian leaders like Putin while denouncing journalists who dare to challenge him.

Nevertheless, amid the pervasive sense that circumstances will worsen, the women featured in My Undesirable Friends exemplify extraordinary resilience. They bravely confront the regime with wit, intelligence, and an abundance of colorful Russian slang until they are compelled to leave and continue their struggle elsewhere. Their candid, world-weary perspectives are encapsulated in one reporter’s reflection during one of their many gatherings before the storm: “We’ve read the books. We know what comes next.”