How long is too long for a documentary about journalists? Filmmaker Julia Loktev is testing that question with My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile, a nearly six-hour film that follows Russian journalists who fled their country after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the documentary opens in selected theatres this weekend and concludes Loktev’s five-year project. She began filming independent journalists in Moscow in 2021, as the government of President Vladimir Putin increased pressure on critical media.
Many of the journalists fled Russia within hours of the invasion. Loktev continued filming as they rebuilt their lives abroad and tried to keep reporting on the war from exile. The film explores their perseverance and determination to work even as public attention shifts to other issues.
Born in the former Soviet Union, Loktev moved to the United States at the age of nine. She filmed her subjects using an iPhone, capturing their experiences as they navigated life outside their homeland. Her earlier documentary, My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow, made the shortlist for an Oscar nomination.
Russian authorities have designated dozens of media outlets and journalists as “foreign agents”, restricted their advertising and imprisoned journalists. The crackdown has also forced many independent newsrooms to relocate abroad.
The film follows journalists as they confront the consequences of exile and reconsider their roles. One of them, former journalist Peter Ruzavin, joined Ukraine’s army. He said journalism alone could not change reality.
Loktev hopes to make a third instalment if Russia’s political situation changes. For now, she sees the documentary as a reminder that serious problems persist even after the public turns its attention elsewhere.
