The current US president, Donald Trump, was elected at a time full of information warfare. Those elections, which took place in 2016, were described entirely through Russian propaganda, which turned the subject into a cynical idea. Russian intervention in the 2016 elections reveals many false news and false tactics related to the modern information war.
Our New President paints a harrowing picture of what it must be like as a citizen dictated by a vain billionaire who has taken away almost all journalistic outlets besides RT and YouTube, which he has filled with trolls.
It's ironic that a film damning the use of propaganda is blatantly propaganda itself, as Pozdorovkin lacks the confidence to let the various clips speak for themselves, using obtrusive techniques to spell out the eerie nature of his footage.
Our New President merely scratches the surface, and in its own weird way, comes to embody the plague of shallow spectacle it purports to fight against.
A portrait of a nation determined to keep its citizens gossiping about foreign politics so they won't question what's happening in their own government.
Pandering to the new McCarthyism of the pseudoleft with dollops of Evil Putin porn only clouds the film's gonzo entertainment value, revealing its dangerous blind spots and ideological bent.
With no central voice guiding it, it feels aimless, not sure whether it is a horror movie or a comedy. Sometimes it feels like a hard hitting look at Russian media and other times it feels like some absurd parody that we should be laughing at.
In general, the tone is playful and satirical, making use of a quick montage that adapts to the information frenzy and the desire for immediacy that we are currently experiencing. [Full review in Spanish]
Alternately amuses, shocks and enrages, revealing concerted Russian propaganda efforts, backed by Vladimir Putin's state-controlled media, that range from the comically paranoid to the scarily sophisticated.
