Bryan Fogel had his work cut out when he chose to direct a follow-up to Icarus , his 54 delved into sports excitement complex cheating system between agents and Russian Olympians. That movie ends on a cliffhanger. Grigory Rodchenkov, the designer of the state-sanctioned doping program, fled Russia and went into hiding in the United States after becoming a whistleblower halfway through the film. To continue telling his story, Fogel’s challenge is not only in his vivid telling of the artistic shadow cast by the Oscar winner. Complicating the production of the sequel was a key constraint: To protect the safety of the central character of the documentary, Fogel could not interact with him directly.
The solution was to embed a cameraman, producer Jake Swantko, in Rodchenkov and his security team. Icarus: The Aftermath traces nearly five years of his life, more intimately and broadly than the earlier films. It’s a documentary as a spy thriller, a portrait of institutionalized gaslighting, a legal nail-biter, an intimate look at the costs of refuting authoritarian teachings, and most importantly, a moving character Research.
Icarus: Consequences
Bottom line Orwellian chill, A poignant twist.
Place: Telluride Film Festival Director: Brian Fogel Screenwriters:
Mark Monroe, Brian Fogel 1235081209 1 hour54 minute
The Aftermath will Fogel and writer-producer Mark Monroe reunite their Bay , Rogue Sparrow and Lucy and Desi ) and composer Adam Peters. For those who haven’t seen the early documentation, the neat introductory credits recaps will tell you what you need to know, and there are some useful recaps on the film itself. Thrilling lighting in a law firm meeting room and moving photography of a temporary home somewhere in America, the story unfolds with just the right disturbing rhythm (edited by Wyatt Rogowski and Lauren Brinkman), And Peters’ score is on percussive beats and dark, nerve-tingling chords.
Understandably, Orwell was close to Rodchenkov. As head of the Russian Anti-Doping Center, his main purpose is to find a way for the country’s Olympians to use performance-enhancing drugs without getting caught— — It would be more accurate to say that the agency’s name would be the Anti-Doping Evidence Center. Tactics are science-based and absurd, including secret laboratories on luxury ships, orders for athletes to pee in their pants, and “duchess cocktails” that use scotch or vodka to mask the drugs.
Rodchenkov is a compelling protagonist with a distinct personality—smart, gregarious, and funny. His silence is ominous, and his effusiveness is childish, especially when he expresses his feelings for those who protect him. That included a legal team led by Jim Walden who had reason to believe that Russian agents were in the US looking for him (during his fugitive years, headlines announced the poisoning of a Russian double agent Sergei Skripal with his daughter Yulia Skripal, in the UK, and Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny.)
The bond between Rodchenkov and Fogel is particularly strong, marking their first contact in two and a half years. They also managed several face-to-face meetings, the first of which was commemorated in an almost romantic mini-montage at a secret site in Rodchenkov’s underground travels.
Going from place to place, often with little attention, whistleblowers monitor the official response at home, dye their hair (with the help of Swanco), use Whiskey calmed his nerves. Somewhere along the way, not explored in the movies, he wrote a book, ‘s Rodchenkov affair: How I overthrew Russia’s secret doping empire . His attempts to bring hope to their plight were unsuccessful during a phone call with his wife, Veronika, who is still in Russia. “This is hell,” she told him. “Why are you venturing into this hell?”
As for who he is and how he got here, Fogel uses brisk animation (developed by Gary Breslin) and Office provided) to illustrate Rodchenkov’s days as a young athlete, when he started doping on his own — against his coach’s policies, and with the help of his mother. Swantko gave him a sit-down interview in which he spoke about the stubborn Soviet mentality of post-open Russia. At that point, the document includes footage of Putin belittling him as a “madman” and calling treason the most serious crime. A Russian TV commentator condemned Rodchenkov’s “maliciousness towards our athletes”.
It would be too easy to say that this movie proves the unique brand of evil in the world. In Rodchenkov’s astute observation, “Whistleblowers are the most hated on both sides.” (Ask Julian Assange.) Rodchenkov sought asylum under attorney Bo Cooper, and his case dragged on for years. At one point, a deal with Edward Snowden was considered. ) Russia doesn’t have a monopoly on nationalist fervor and propaganda, but its unique branding, combined with shockingly old-fashioned espionage techniques, sets it apart. Rodchenkov’s successor at the Anti-Doping Center, Yuri Ganus, is a ray of reason and hope. His forthcoming acceptance and recognition of the importance of whistleblowers in a virtual interview with Fogel is both heartening and worrying.
Certainly, in grand geopolitical plans, a more serious crime than cheating at the Olympics. If anyone in 54 still sees the Olympics as a pure and sacred cause rather than a big business , then they might as well learn that there’s gambling going on at Rick’s Café, and I’m shocked. Consequences Includes interviews with WADA members, all of whom are Olympic-affiliated WADA, who are all quiet about Russia’s setbacks and reversals Athletes returned to the field following the revelation of what initially led to Russia’s suspension 54.
Based on his directorial debut, Jewtopia, No one could have predicted that Fogel would become a dedicated Truth Teller and Iconoclast (Between Icarus and his new movie, he made dissident on murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi documentation). Consequences reflect his personal commitment and cast a deep light on the greater forces that shape all of our lives
The focus of Rodchenkov, his legal team and the filmmakers has temporarily shifted to diaries he kept since his teens documenting his work for the Russian government. As for how the laptop was shipped from Russia to the US, we may never know. Of course, the victory was bittersweet. These diaries are undoubtedly the only things Rodchenkov can see again in his Russian life. Documenting a leap into the unknown, Icarus: Aftermath is a story of great bravery and unspeakable sadness.
