Overview
- The first North American trailer debuted ahead of a May 15 theatrical release from distributor Vertical.
- The film adapts Giuliano da Empoli’s novel under director Olivier Assayas, who explores power, media, and mythmaking with co-writer Emmanuel Carrère.
- Paul Dano plays Vadim Baranov, a fictional TV producer who becomes an adviser to a young Vladimir Putin portrayed by Jude Law.
- The ensemble includes Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge, and Will Keen, with Jeffrey Wright appearing as the American journalist who frames Baranov’s story.
- Early coverage cites a self-aware approach that some find uneven, praising Law’s stylized Putin, and notes festival pedigree including a Venice competition premiere reported by Variety and IFFR program notes on its authoritarianism chronicle.