The Wizard of the Kremlin Le Mage du Kremlin

Synopsis

Russia, early 1990s. Amid post-Soviet chaos, a brilliant young man, Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano), charts his astronomical rise. First a bohemian artist, then a reality TV producer, he eventually assumes the role of spin doctor to an ambitious KGB agent: Vladimir Putin (Jude Law). At the heart of power, Baranov shapes the new Russia, blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, belief and manipulation. Only the magnetic Ksenia (Alicia Vikander) remains elusive and beyond his control, tempting him away from this dangerous game. Years later, after retreating into silence and shrouded in mystery, Baranov finally opens up, revealing the dark secrets of the regime he helped build to American journalist Rowland (Jefffrey Wright).

In this adaptation of Giuliano da Empoli’s eponymous best-selling novel, a fictionalized account of the machinations of the Russian president’s one-time advisor, director and co-writer Olivier Assayas (Irma Vep, The Clouds of Sils Maria) examines the machiavellian spectre of contemporary populist politics. With soft-spoken, if brutal candor and wit, Dano embodies the wily spirit of the political strategist, a student of spectacle from his days in theater and television, while Law compels delivering an icy, measured Putin.