Two Prosecutors is a 2025 historical drama film written and directed by Sergei Loznitsa, based on the novella of the same name by Georgy Demidov. Starring Aleksandr Kuznetsov and Aleksandr Filippenko, the film follows a young Soviet prosecutor seeking justice for a prisoner during Joseph Stalin's ongoing Great Purge.
| Two Prosecutors | |
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| Directed by | Sergei Loznitsa |
| Screenplay by | Sergei Loznitsa |
| Based on | Two Prosecutors by Georgy Demidov |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Oleg Mutu |
| Edited by | Danielius Kokanauskis |
| Music by | Christiaan Verbeek |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
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The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 14 May 2025, and will be theatrically released by Progress in Germany on 19 February 2026.
Premise
editIn 1937, amid Joseph Stalin's Great Purge, a young Soviet prosecutor comes across a letter written by a prisoner in Bryansk. Believing the man to be the victim of NKVD corruption, the prosecutor seeks out justice with the Procurator General.[1]
Cast
edit- Aleksandr Kuznetsov as Kornyev
- Aleksandr Filippenko as Stepniak / Pegleg
- Anatoliy Beliy as Andrey Vyshinsky
- Andris Keišs
- Vytautas Kaniušonis
- Valentin Novopolskij
- Dmitrij Denisiuk
Production
editPrincipal photography took place in Riga.[2][3][4] The production team shot in a former prison that was built in 1905.[5] Filming wrapped on 25 October 2024.[6]
Release
editCoproduction Office acquired the sales rights to the film in February 2025.[2] The film will be distributed by Pyramide in France and Progress in Germany. Ahead of its premiere, the film was also acquired for distribution by Lucky Red in Italy; Aerofilms in the Czech Republic and Slovakia; Vertigo Media in Hungary; HBO Europe in eastern Europe; Filmstop in Estonia; MegaCom Film in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia; Lev in Israel; and Falcon Films in the Middle East.[7]
The film had its world premiere in competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 14 May 2025.[8][9] It will receive a theatrical release in Germany on 19 February 2026.
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[11]
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a rating of five stars out of five, calling it "starkly austere and gripping ".[12] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Impeccably directed and impressively acted, this slow-burn story of political injustice is filled to the brim with atmosphere — specifically the stifling, claustrophobic atmosphere of the U.S.S.R. at the height of Stalin’s Great Purge."[13] Jessica Kiang of Variety wrote, "[T]his is not the kind of movie that hinges on abrupt reveals or gratuitous twists. Indeed, the banal predictability of Kornyev's slowly mounting humiliations and disillusionments is very much the point. The film's fascination lies in its fabric, the devastation in its detail...." She praised Oleg Mutu's cinematography, Christiaan Verbeek's score, and Jurij Grigorovič and Aldis Meinerts's production design.[14] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a rating of five stars out of five, calling it "a disturbing parable of the insidious micro-processes of tyranny".[15] Damon Wise of Deadline noted that the film was "a bleak warning from history" and commended the film's set design and relevance to current events.[16]
References
edit- ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (16 May 2024). "Sergei Loznitsa gears up to shoot Stalin-era drama 'Two Prosecutors' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ a b Leffler, Rebecca (14 February 2025). "Coproduction Office boards Sergei Loznitsa's 'Two Prosecutors' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Волчек, Дмитрий (17 May 2024). ""Мой герой – народ Украины". Сергей Лозница – о фильме "Вторжение"". Радио Свобода (in Russian). Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ Jansen, Astrid (19 November 2024). ""The most important thing in contemporary cinema is what it is lacking: urgency."". BOZAR. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (12 May 2025). "Cannes: Sergei Loznitsa talks Two Prosecutors". SEE NL. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ @atomsvoidfilms (27 October 2024). "It's a WRAP! Principal photography of "TWO PROSECUTORS" has been completed!". Retrieved 14 May 2025 – via Instagram.
- ^ Leffler, Rebecca (14 May 2025). "Sergei Loznitsa's 'Two Prosecutors' scores early sales ahead of Cannes premiere". Screen Daily. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ Vourlias, Christopher (14 May 2025). "Ukraine's Sergei Loznitsa on Cannes Competitor 'Two Prosecutors' and Budding Trump-Putin Alliance: Totalitarian Threat 'Looming on the Horizon'". Variety. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ Calnan, Ellie; Parfitt, Orlando (15 May 2025). "'Sound Of Falling', 'Two Prosecutors' kick off Cannes jury grid with strong scores". Screen Daily. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ "Two Prosecutors". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Two Prosecutors". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (14 May 2025). "Two Prosecutors review – a petrifying portrait of Stalinist insurrection". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Mintzer, Jordan (14 May 2025). "'Two Prosecutors' Review: Sergei Loznitsa Explores the Stifling Climate of Stalin-Era Russia in a Legal Drama That Burns Slowly but Brightly". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Kiang, Jessica (14 May 2025). "'Two Prosecutors' Review: Sergei Loznitsa Takes Us on a Darkly Absurdist Odyssey Through the Soviet Totalitarian Nightmare". Variety. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (14 May 2025). "Two Prosecutors review – a petrifying portrait of Stalinist insurrection". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ Wise, Damon (14 May 2025). "'Two Prosecutors' Review: Sergei Loznitsa's Chilling Soviet Drama Is A Bleak Warning From History – Cannes Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
