Cannes 2025: Loznitsa’s ‘Two Prosecutors’ Exposes Stalin-Era Horrors And Reflects Today’s Russia

World-renowned Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa has returned to the Cannes Film Festival with a political thriller titled Two Prosecutors. Through the lens of Stalin-era repression, the film draws a chilling parallel to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Known for his hard-hitting films like A Gentle Creature (2017) and Donbass (2018), Loznitsa again highlights the brutalities of totalitarian regimes.

Two Prosecutors dives into the nightmare years of 1937–38 in the Soviet Union, when the NKVD—predecessor to the infamous KGB—tortured and killed around one million citizens. The NKVD (1934–1946) acted long before the KGB (1954–1991), and today, the FSB (Federal Security Service) continues similar work in Russia. Loznitsa’s film is based on a 1969 novel by Georgy Demidov, a Russian scientist and political prisoner who endured 14 years of torture. The manuscript, once confiscated by the KGB, was returned in 1980 and published only in 2009.

Story of Justice, Betrayal and Silencing in Stalin’s Russia

The plot follows a young prosecutor, Alexander Korneev, who is posted to a remote Russian town. He receives a blood-written letter from a prisoner named Stepanik, a Bolshevik Party worker tortured for refusing to sign a false confession. Thousands of such letters, addressed to Stalin, are burned secretly. Prosecutor Korneev investigates and meets Stepanik in prison, where he uncovers countless stories of injustice.

Believing that Moscow is unaware of this, Korneev takes his case to Chief Prosecutor Vyshinsky. But his mission backfires. After presenting his findings, Korneev becomes a target himself. On his return journey, NKVD officers disguised as passengers abduct him. They show him a warrant from Moscow and imprison him in the same jail he sought to reform. The final shot shows the prison gates closing behind him, sealing his fate.

Cannes Applauds Ukrainian Cinema Amid Russian Isolation

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Cannes has strongly backed Ukrainian voices. Russian films are effectively banned. Two years ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the festival’s opening. This year, three Ukrainian films, including one on Zelensky’s life, screened on the opening day. Despite the tension, Sergei Loznitsa’s new film was included in the main competition, highlighting the festival’s continued support.

Shot in Riga, Latvia, Two Prosecutors features powerful performances. Alexander Kuznetsov plays Korneev with remarkable depth, while Alexander Filippenko shines as Stepanik. Cinematographer Oleg Mutu captures the grim tone with haunting visuals. The film’s realism, minimalist design, and stylised presentation mark another strong entry in Loznitsa’s body of work. The storytelling bridges past and present, suggesting that the terrors of Stalin’s regime still echo in Putin’s Russia.

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