Valeriya Gai Germanika’s documentary Emelianenko, whose post-production was completed back in 2023, has been in Russian theaters since April 9. At the premiere in Moscow’s Oktyabr cinema, the director called it “a very traditional film,” while its central figure, fighter Alexander Emelianenko, told the audience:
“As you can see, I am sober now.”
Critic Irina Karpova writes that the film marks an important stage for Germanika after earlier works including Myslenny volk and the documentary Papa. According to the director, the release was delayed because she hoped to show the film at international festivals. It was eventually screened in Shanghai and selected for the festival in Bangkok. Russian streaming platforms, Germanika says, were reluctant to take it because of the protagonist’s reputation.
The documentary follows Emelianenko as he prepares for his fight with Magomed Ismailov, which took place in July 2020. On screen, training sessions alternate with episodes showing severe alcohol dependency; the outcome is already known: Emelianenko lost by technical knockout.
Karpova also notes that the film does not state what crime led to Emelianenko’s prison sentence. In 2015, Moscow’s Simonovsky Court sentenced him to 4.5 years in prison and a 50,000-ruble fine in a rape case involving his 26-year-old housekeeper; in November 2016, he was released on parole.
The review also notes that Ramzan Kadyrov, the fighter’s manager Viktor, and Vladimir Putin appear in the film. In one scene, Emelianenko’s mother does not immediately recognize Putin in an old photograph. In the reviewer’s view, that detail, along with the portrayal of the protagonist, reflects contemporary Russian ideas about masculinity, power, and impunity.