- Two Prosecutors marks a return to fiction for the Ukrainian filmmaker, one of the most prominent contemporary voices in the field of documentary and archival filmmaking.
- The 70th SEMINCI welcomes the Spanish premiere of this film, which, inspired by a true story, connects the history of the USSR with current issues in Russia.
Sergei Loznitsa attended the 70th SEMINCI to present the Spanish premiere of Two Prosecutors, in competition for the Golden Spike. The Ukrainian filmmaker, author of some of the most important documentary works in recent years, returns to fiction after the multi-award-winning Donbass (2018) to fight against collective amnesia. Inspired by real events, Two Prosecutors offers a story in which the history of the USSR dialogues with the turbulent present of today’s Russia.
Based on the autobiography of Soviet physicist and activist Georgy Demidov, Two Prosecutors portrays the USSR during Stalin’s Great Purge, when millions of people were accused, arrested or executed. In 1937, a young prosecutor receives a letter notifying him of possible torture in a prison. Suspecting that the accusations are false, the protagonist embarks on a journey through the labyrinths of bureaucracy and corruption to meet with the prisoner and uncover the truth.
A return to fiction?
Two Prosecutors is Loznitsa’s first fiction film in seven years, a period during which he has released several acclaimed documentaries, including Babi Yar. Context (2021), The Natural History of Destruction (2022) and The Invasion (2024), which was screened in Time of History at the 69th SEMINCI. ‘It’s not a return to fiction per se. It’s a film that comes from the archives of the Stalin period, about the Soviet government authorities who made false public accusations. I wanted to show the reality of all these people who were victims of that system,’ said the director.
On the increasingly blurred line between reality and fiction, Loznitsa added: ‘We always had the idea of creating something impossible to do. Fiction and documentary are two different genres, in terms of production and also in terms of ethics. But they are also genres that can coexist. By recreating reality, we can bring the audience closer to the truth.‘ He concluded: ’With technological developments, it is becoming increasingly difficult to perceive whether something is true or false. If it is complicated now, in the future it will be much more difficult to believe in images because we will be able to create anything.’
Mirrors of History
Loznitsa’s cinema presents a constant game of mirrors between the past and the present, emphasising current politics in the act of looking at the past. In Two Prosecutors, the phenomenon of Stalinist purges opens the door to a commentary on today’s Russia: ‘The fact that we can see so many similarities between this reality from 80 years ago and what is happening today speaks volumes. It means that nothing has changed in society and that we are not so far removed from the dangers of these totalitarian regimes of yesteryear.’ And he warns: ‘If you are also able to recognise something in your own country, you should pay attention, see what kind of mistakes were made in the past and think about the future.’
The filmmaker also spoke about architecture as a reflection of society, pointing out the importance of filming in real spaces: ‘We filmed in a real prison that was built in 1905 and used for this type of prosecution. It’s something you sense when you walk in; these are places where you feel the war. The architecture bears the mark of history, and it was very important to create this universe between reality and the set.’
This shapes an austere and minimalist mise-en-scène, which is intensified by elements such as the photography and the colour palette: ‘The director of photography created a special filter for the film. Our idea was to reduce all the colours and stick with shades such as grey, black, dark brown and burgundy red, reminiscent of blood. The costumes and set design were also created from that point of view.’ Another important decision in this regard was the static camera: ‘We decided not to move the camera, which required detailed attention and several months of planning. We knew we wanted to shoot in a very specific way and we worked towards that.’