Rebellion: The Litvinenko Case

The poisoning of former Russian agentAlexander Litvinenko last year in London wasa better story than any screenwriter couldhave come up with. And worse – it happened.Russian director Andrei Nekrasov makesno secret of his sympathies when he tellsus about the life and death of his friend andfellow countryman. The film is an indictmentof, and an attack on, the Russian governmentand the Federal Security Service (FSB), heir tothe KGB, whom he argues runs the country.Freedom of speech is being blocked, and theChechen war is a cover for the FSB to engagein further crackdowns. “Rebellion” is based oninterviews with Litvinenko, his wife, and AnnaPolitkovskaya, the investigative journalist whoalso was killed last year, as well as clandestinevideo footage and news broadcasts showing the police at work. One of the most amazing scenesis when Nekrasov interviews Andrei Lugovoi, theman that the British authorities charged for themurder. Lugovoi offers him a cup of tea afterexplaining how easy it is to poison someone bylacing it with – that’s right – polonium.