Home / Arts and Entertainment / Filmmaker Explores Stalinist Purge Terrors
Filmmaker Explores Stalinist Purge Terrors
11 Feb
Summary
- A Soviet prosecutor investigates false accusations during Stalin's purges.
- The film uses a historical thriller format to depict legal system corruption.
- It premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews.
Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa presents "Two Prosecutors," a historical thriller examining the Soviet Union's legal system in 1937. The film depicts a dark period of Stalinist purges, where thousands of letters from falsely accused detainees were destroyed.
One such letter, however, reaches Alexander Kornyev, a newly appointed local prosecutor. Despite the pervasive fear of the secret police, the NKVD, Kornyev dedicates himself to uncovering the truth behind the prisoner's plight.
His pursuit of justice escalates, leading him through the totalitarian regime's corridors all the way to the Attorney General's office in Moscow. Loznitsa, known for exploring authoritarianism's legacy, makes his first scripted film since "Donbass" in 2018.
"Two Prosecutors" debuted at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, receiving critical acclaim before subsequent screenings at Toronto and New York. The film is set for a limited release in New York City on March 20, 2026, and Los Angeles on March 27, 2026.
