In Memoriam: Alexander Litvinenko

The Netherlands 2006 / 56min. Russian with English subtitles.
Directors Jos de Putter, Masha Novikova / Producer Miriam Bos

What began as a case of food poisoning in a London sushi restaurant escalates into a political spectacle of treachery and intrigue on a scale not seen since the Cold War.

Alexander Litvinenko’s story is a remarkable one. As an exiled former member of Russia’s secret police, Litvinenko fearlessly believed he had to tell the truth about the heinous crimes and atrocities he witnessed. This determination ultimately led to his tragic and mysterious death by radiation poisoning.

Sensational and chilling, directors de Putter and Novikova craft an explosive film using a brilliant structure, moving between interviews with Litvinenko’s father, the exiled Chechnyan Prime Minister Akhmed Zakayev and Litvinenko himself – both two years prior to his death when he shared his secrets and named his unlikely assassins and later, on his death bed.

In Memoriam: Alexander Litvinenko is a film that makes you wonder if what you’re watching is actually real. The simple story of a Russian spy and his secrets would be enough to make a great film, but compounded with the suspicious circumstances surrounding Litvinenko’s death, we bear witness to a full-on political incident that is simply jaw dropping.

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