Sundance review: “Pussy Riot–A Punk Prayer”

Like the punk music performed by Russian feminist provocateurs Pussy Riot, the documentary that captures their story is an energetic blast of noise and color that is a must-see for anyone into punk-rock, politics or journalism.

Pussy Riot–A Punk Prayer, directed by Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin, is a remarkably complete look at the story of three women named Masha, Nadia and Katia, whose arrest for “hooliganism” after an impromptu Pussy Riot performance in a Moscow cathedral turned the world’s attention to modern Russia’s justice system, and the masses who feel the election of Vladimir Putin was reason to hit the streets with some good old-fashioned popular protest.

Pussy Riot formed around the time Putin retook office, in winter of 2011, and came to international attention when they were sentenced to prison for what was essentially a publicity stunt to protest the intermingling of church and state in modern Russia. The film does a decent job in illustrating why people like the trio were appalled at Putin’s return to the presidency, but it excels in showing what a joke the trial of the three young women was.

The access allowed the filmmakers–and the press in general–is amazing, and the film is full of great visuals of the media crowding around the young women in court, of protesters dressing in Pussy Riot’s “uniform” of balaclavas, tights and summer dresses taking to the streets, and of religious folks appalled by what Pussy Riot did in their sacred cathedral. Interviews with the band members and their parents go far in showing us how these young women came to be politicized to the point of picking up guitars and going after the most powerful man in their country.

Even if you’ve kept up with the Pussy Riot story from afar, Pussy Riot–A Punk Prayer is essential viewing. From practice sessions to the appeals court, the filmmakers were with them the entire way through their saga, and this movie will prove a document of true historic import to anyone interested in the intersection of art and political protest.

Even if you never hear another Pussy Riot song after leaving the theater, you’ll find yourself wanting to join their cause at least in spirit, if not in deed.

Remaining screenings:

Jan. 23, 9 a.m., Temple  Theatre, Park City

Jan. 24, 6 p.m., Egyptian Theatre, Park City