Home / Arts and Entertainment / Meryl Streep's Surprise Role in "My Undesirable Friends"
Meryl Streep's Surprise Role in "My Undesirable Friends"
9 Oct
Summary
- Meryl Streep became an executive producer after watching a five-and-a-half-hour film.
- The nearly 12-hour documentary series covers TV Rain's implosion and exile.
- Director Julia Loktev filmed the epic documentary series solely on an iPhone.
The nearly 12-hour documentary series "My Undesirable Friends," directed by Julia Loktev, chronicles significant events in Russia and Europe. Part I, "Last Air in Moscow," captured the implosion of TV Rain, Russia's last independent news network, under Vladimir Putin's government.
Part II, "Exile," follows the predominantly female dissident journalism collective as they dispersed across Europe following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The sequel also features Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras as an executive producer.
Actress Meryl Streep became an executive producer after Colin Firth recommended the film. Streep reportedly watched five and a half hours of the documentary in one sitting, which led her to offer her support.
Director Loktev, who is Russian-American and based in New York, worked largely as a one-woman crew, often shooting with just an iPhone. This approach facilitated greater portability and the ability to capture spontaneous events as they unfolded.
Loktev aims for audiences to approach the film with empathy and curiosity, rather than requiring extensive knowledge of Russian politics. The film highlights the experiences of journalists like former TV Rain anchor Anna Nemzer and Elena Kostyuchenko, who may have been a victim of poisoning.
TV Rain continues to operate from Amsterdam, despite its hosts being declared extremists in Russia and facing in absentia sentences for speaking about war crimes. The Russian government actively attempts to block the network's content, creating a constant challenge for information dissemination.
