Words of War (15)
Directed by James Strong  
★★★★

“IF you choose to be a journalist in Russia you have to accept the risk,” states Maxine Peake as Anna Politkovskaya, the world-renowned journalist and human rights activist, whose brave crusade to tell the Russian people the truth cost her her life. She was murdered on President Vladimir Putin’s birthday in 2006. 

Directed by James Strong (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) and written by Eric Poppen, this powerful and chilling drama is based on Politkovskaya’s true story. It examines both her professional and personal life. 

The film opens with Politkovskaya being poisoned on board a plane before being rushed to hospital. It then flashes back to five years earlier — Moscow 1999 — as it outlines the events leading up to this moment. Politkovskaya was sent to Chechnya to cover the war. Her boss (Ciaran Hinds) tells her they need a “people correspondent” there, not a war correspondent. She slowly earns the trust of Chechens as she reports on the atrocities and human rights abuses being carried out by Russian troops in Chechnya as well as exposing state corruption under Putin and his bully boy tactics. 

Despite the numerous daily death threats she received she was relentless in reporting the truth and speaking out against Putin. The film shows the impact it had on her, her family and her marriage. 

Peake delivers a powerhouse performance as Politkovskaya alongside a sterling Jason Isaacs as her conflicted husband who is initially very supportive of her but becomes plagued by jealousy as her fame and influence rises. Meanwhile, Ian Hart is frightening as the sinister secret service policeman who keeps tabs on her. 

This is a very human story set against the backdrop of large geopolitical events. Her assassination is a stark reminder of the dangers journalists face and with 1,500 killed since her death it highlights the importance and need to protect free speech and a free press from those who wish to suppress them. 

This film pays homage to Anna Politkovskaya’s incredible bravery and all those other reporters who also died while doing their job in a poignant montage during the end credits.

In cinemas for just one day on June 27, and on digital services from June 30