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The documentary is a thrilling investigation into Chernobyl and a secret Soviet weapon standing in its shadows, conducted by a mad and irradiated Ukrainian artist. Now he must decide whether to risk his life and play his part in the revolution by revealing it.
7 October 1952, Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]
2 March 1931, Privolnoye, North Caucasus Krai, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Stavropol Krai, Russia]
March 08, 2016
This assertive film reaches out beyond just the usual folks who take to conspiracy theories.October 16, 2015
Alexandrovich's ideas are poised to be embraced by a wide swatch of conspiracy theorists as this film continues to be discovered and debated.October 15, 2015
Mr. Gracia's messily structured film works best as a document of fear in today's Ukraine and as a kind of ghost story about the Soviet Union.November 19, 2015
Gripping conspiracy thriller, pretentious art biopic, timely political documentary -- 'The Russian Woodpecker' is all this and more.October 15, 2015
The Russian Woodpecker is only valuable as entertainment, though the absence of any equivalent to the Zapruder film or allegedly suspicious NASA photos means there's not much visual interest.January 26, 2016
You should check it out.November 20, 2015
A corking conspiracy lies at the heart of Chad Gracia's debut documentary, whose darkly comic proceedings are strewn with covert recordings and animated interludes.February 20, 2016
A documentary with no easy antecedents, The Russian Woodpecker is at once a glance inside a wondrous mind, a journey back into the twisted mire of the Cold War and an experience that can't stop provoking questions.February 22, 2016
An unexpectedly compelling political thriller.November 19, 2015
An investigative political documentary with a lion heart and a funny bone.October 29, 2015
Provocative, spooky and just a little nutty.October 14, 2015
The Russian Woodpecker is very much like Fedor himself -- eccentric as hell, smart as a whip, and, at the end of the day, a heartbreaker.