Hot Docs Review: Letter to Anna - The Story of Journalist Politkovskaya's Death

A documentary always needs a skillful hand and eye to bring it together, otherwise the subject can easily get lost in the layout and presentation of the film. However, the true magic behind a documentary is often luck. No matter how much planning and careful crafting go into the film, there is always a degree of fortuity involved -- that your subjects will be cogent and engaging, or that the story unfolds in a cinematic way. This luck is what made The Ghosts of Cite Soliel so insanely gripping, and why this new documentary by Eric Bergkraut, Letter to Anna -- The Story of Journalist Politkovskaya's Death, is worth your time.

The benefit of making documentaries about current or recent media figures who have passed away is that there is a fountain of information to choose from -- video clips, interviews, memoirs, family members, friends. They allow for a deeper and more personal look at the subject, and free the filmmaker from having to make educated guesses based on old sources skewed by translation, agenda, and lost bits of information. But rarely, if ever, do we see a documentary about someone who has passed away where their interviews speak directly to the theme of the film. In the case of Letter to Anna, Bergkraut is fortunate enough to have hours of interviews with slain journalist Anna Politkovskaya from his previous documentary, Coca: The Dove from Chechnya. These conversations not only infuse the film with a definite sense of who she was, but also allow us to learn about Anna's passions and personality directly from the source.
When Vladimir Putin turned 54 on October 2, 2006, he received a bloody gift -- one of his biggest critics, Anna Politkovskaya, was murdered as she entered her home in Moscow. It is a crime that has never officially been solved, but one that is surely connected to the journalist's political critiques. A champion for those who suffer, Politkovskaya was a persistent voice against the oppressed, especially those suffering through the war in Chechnya. In the face of threats, a poisoned drink, and a particularly brutal arrest and detainment, she continued to tell the stories of those that suffered, determined to make their voices heard, no matter what the cost.

Narrated by Susan Sarandon (and by Catherine Deneuve in the French version), Letter to Anna lays out the entire world of this famous journalist from belief to practice. Politkovskaya was a woman dedicated to her convictions and work -- at the expense of her once carefree ways, her marriage and, ultimately, her life. The doc details her work in Chechnya and explains the politics she fought for and against, but it's the moments where the film dips into Politkovskaya and her personal life that are most memorable. Beyond the wealth of footage of Anna, there are intimate discussions with both of her children. Footage of her son shows a man determined to know who gave the order for her mother's murder, and likening those who carried it out as nothing more than pawns in the story, while her daughter reveals the woman behind the work -- a strict mother obsessed with truth. In her candid interviews you can tell it's not just about praising her mother for the camera, but talking openly and honestly about the woman Anna was.

There are moments in this story where the documentary drags, especially with overused shots of Politkovskaya walking -- a convention that can be helpful when delivering voiceovers, but in this film just seems like filler. But overall, the crisp HD shots are beautiful, and Bergkraut catches a number of special moments -- both the insistent professional purpose of Politkovskaya and the moments when she laughed, as well as how her work impacted others. In one scene, a police officer demands that a woman take down a poster she has attached to the wall of Anna's home. She refuses, he rips it down, and then another woman steps up, asking him for the poster. "Why?" he asks. She responds: "So I can stick it back on the wall."

Anna Politkovskaya was a beacon of determination, and to see her in action in Letter to Anna is inspiring, just as it is to see the determination she has inspired in the women who admire her.