In Putin's footsteps: how director Mikhalkov turned into 'Besogon'

Berlin studio Narra and the collective of independent journalists “Bereg” released documentary film “Son”, dedicated to how the formerly talented director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov turned into the main mouthpiece of the most odious conspiracy theories. In the past, an Oscar-winning director warmly received in the West, today Mikhalkov is one of the main supporters of anti-Western policies, war with Ukraine, repression and Russia’s descent into anti-scientific archaism.

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The filmmakers tried to find the moment when this transformation occurred. It is worth noting that the directors managed to objectively show the biography of the hero’s father, the poet Sergei Mikhalkov, known for his ability to adapt to any authorities - from Stalin to Yeltsin. The authors of the film recall how at one time Sergei Mikhalkov participated in bullying Boris Pasternak and knew how to stay in line with “party policy” right up to perestroika.

Adaptability, the ability to flatter those in power, a painful need for titles and awards and the habit of creating myths about oneself, according to the film, were equally characteristic of both father and son. However, even this does not answer the question of why Nikita Mikhalkov did not become an ordinary loyalist, like many cultural figures in modern Russia, but created a radical pseudo-religious project, which at times was even capable of irritating the Kremlin. This was the case, for example, during the coronavirus pandemic, when Mikhalkov’s most odious program about “chipping” had to be even remove from federal broadcast, since it interfered with vaccination in Russia itself.

Hostage to your own grievances

In my opinion, the closest person to understanding Mikhalkov’s motivation was one of the participants in the film “Son,” a film critic Andrey Plakhov, who has repeatedly noted that many of the director-propagandist’s actions are driven not only by vanity, but also by a sense of resentment, deep grievances that he carried throughout his life. As examples of such grievances, the critic cites forced service in the army, non-awarding of certain international awards, and so on.

It so happened that I myself had to witness one of Nikita Sergeevich’s similar grievances, which may play a key role in the metamorphoses that happened to him. This was in 2011, when, following the unwritten traditions of the Mikhalkov clan, the author of “Burnt by the Sun” was already absolutely loyal to the authorities and even managed to receive the nickname “Barin” among the people for his arrogance and constant references to “high origin.”

It was in that year that the last, third part of his trilogy, “Citadel”, was published, which received rather negative reviews from critics. And then Mikhalkov decided to take a desperate step: he announced a film review competition among ordinary people, and then gathered the winners in Moscow and announced his desire to make “genuine film critics” out of them.

Flirting with the audience

We must pay tribute to the fact that at that moment Mikhalkov was still able to accept criticism, and therefore selected not the most laudatory reviews among the winners. This is exactly what my text was. I recognized many of the film’s shortcomings, but as a person who at that time was seriously and deeply engaged in studying Stalin’s repressions, I was grateful to Mikhalkov for raising this topic in principle. However, I remember being genuinely surprised that my text was among the finalists in the competition.

The future “Besogon” organized the meeting with the winners with his usual pathos and scope. He tried to charm the audience, literally hand-fed them pieces of a large Citadel cake and deliberately seated them between actors close to him, as if emphasizing that he made no difference between “stars” and ordinary people.

The message with which Mikhalkov addressed the winners also seemed not without meaning. The director assured that he was ready to accept any constructive criticism, but it should be impartial, that is, not depend on the attitude towards him personally. He complained that instead of trying to understand his intended meanings, official criticism drew attention to the fact that he cast his daughter in the film or behaved arrogantly at the premiere.

«A work of art must be judged according to the laws by which it was made.“, Mikhalkov repeated offendedly.

Bet on the people

It must be admitted that there is indeed some truth in this message. In theory, when evaluating any film, it is important to abstract from the personality of the director. However, it was quite difficult to separate the “master” Mikhalkov from his works even at that time. Despite attempts to be courteous and gallant, throughout the evening it was felt that Mikhalkov was driven by a deep resentment not only towards professional critics, but also towards the entire creative intelligentsia - the very “creative class”, whose opinion at that moment determined the assessment of certain works .

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To spite them, Mikhalkov defiantly “went to the people.” In particular, at the meeting he invited the participants to create their own “independent forum of free criticism.” Ultimately, nothing came of this idea, but it was this meeting, in fact, that became the moment when Mikhalkov finally broke his connection with the ruff and critical liberal intelligentsia and relied on “ordinary people”, who, according to him, are the only ones capable were able to understand his films.

Anticipating Putin

Funny enough, a few months later Vladimir Putin followed the same path. After a series of protest rallies for fair elections in late 2011 - early 2012, he became completely disillusioned with the so-called “creative class” and harbored a grudge against them, which he still bears to this day. It was then that Putin finally abandoned the democratic part of society as his support and turned to the “common people” like the workers of Uralvagonzavod and participants in pro-government rallies Sergei Kurginyan.

The image of the conventional “Sveta from Ivanovo” has become a symbol of the ideal voter for Putin and, at the same time, the ideal viewer for Mikhalkov. Having relied on people from the outback, Mikhalkov tried his best to please them first of all, to become a “folk hero” opposing the “corrupt and thoughtless” liberal intelligentsia.

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Meanwhile, the vector of Russia’s development after 2011 finally changed, and for Mikhalkov, as they say, the stars aligned. His inherent desire to please any authorities coincided with a personal resentment towards the liberal intelligentsia. Most likely, it was these two motives that led to the birth of “Besogon” - a fanatical preacher and “spiritual leader of the people”, at the same time absolutely loyal to the Kremlin. The “excesses” in this case are explained by the fact that the desire to please the public who adores him and resentment towards liberals sometimes outweigh the desire to please the authorities.

It is unlikely that anyone will be able to answer whether Mikhalkov himself today believes in the theories he spreads. It is quite possible that, being a good actor, he has become so accustomed to his role that he himself is no longer able to distinguish truth from fiction. But all this, of course, does not relieve him of responsibility for the enormous evil that his propaganda brings.

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