Danielle Solzman
From Russia with Lev is the latest documentary that can be categorized as being essential viewing ahead of the election. It’s another documentary that Donald Trump does not want you to watch.
It will forever pique my interest when I hear that Billy Corben is directing a new documentary. Teaming up with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and her Surprise Inside production company, the rakontur team continues to do what they do best. In this instance, it’s getting the full story of Lev Parnas and his role in the Trump-Ukraine scandal. While Parnas did serve as a witness in the 2019 House impeachment trial, the Senate did not ask for witnesses when it came to the conviction trial. A conviction would mean that Trump would not be running for office this year. Unfortunately, they did not have the courage. Because of this, America is once again facing threats against democracy from the former president.
On meeting Trump for the first time, Parnas says:
“The moment that really got me is when I asked him, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And he looked out into the ocean and then stared back at us and said, ‘You know what? I don’t need to be doing this. I’m doing this for the regular folks, for the common people. I’m trying to stop them from destroying our country.’ And at that moment, it was something that hit me. I was mesmerized, cultinized, hypnotized. I was Trumpanized.”
The cult of Trumpism is something that keeps coming up again and again. In fact, there is another documentary about the subject, #Untruth: The Psychology of Trumpism. Both of these films are essential viewing prior to the November election. Unfortunately, I fear that the people who NEED to watch these documentaries will not watch them because they are not airing on Fox News.
Prior to meeting Donald Trump during his 2016 election campaign, Parnas had only recently changed his life around after the great recession. His involvement with Trump and America’s mayor, Rudy Guiliani, would lead to traveling all over the world, let alone meeting so many Republican bigwigs. Unfortunately for Parnas, it would also lead to an arrest and serving time in prison. Going to prison, as Parnas says, might have been the best thing to happen to him. He was able to wake up after being Trumpanized on the night he met Trump.
Parnas pulls back the curtain by explaining how the Trump administration came up with their allegations against Joe Biden while he was running for president. While the film is only about an hour and a half long, there were more than 30 hours of interviews with Parnas and his network. I’m curious to hear the length of the original edit prior to filmmakers trimming things down for the MSNBC broadcast. There are photos, videos, documents, and yes, even secret recordings that have not been seen in public. Parnas took many photos that would later serve as evidence for the Trump impeachment. The photos and footage here are especially damning for not only Trump but Fox News, too.
After Parnas mentions wanting to ask for Hunter Biden’s forgiveness, it’s only fitting that they both meet in person. It’s a very moving conversation with Parnas opening up and even crying over his involvement.
This quote from Lev Parnas late in the film really drives the point home:
“I feel foolish. I feel disgusted. I feel–I’m ashamed of myself. I truly believed we were helping America but looking back at it now, we destroyed America. We have such division. People are at each other’s throats. And the sad part? That was exactly what Vladimir Putin wanted and we gave it to him on a silver platter. How ironic is it? The Reagan Republicans were the anti-Soviet Union, Russia, stop the Cold War, push for democracy. And now we have Republicans screaming, literally, Russian propaganda.”
If there is something to take away from watching From Russia with Lev, it is Trump only cares about himself. The minute that someone is no longer important to him, he will deny ever knowing them. His behavior–again and again–is completely unpresidential. After the arrest of Parnas, Trump repeatedly denied any knowledge of Parnas. The joke was on Trump because there is always a photo or recording. In addition to the documentary, Parnas also tells his story in his 2024 book, Shadow Diplomacy.
From Russia with Lev needs to be seen by as many eyeballs as possible.
DIRECTOR: Billy Corben
FEATURING: Lev Parnas, Svetlana Parnas, Michael Sallah, Tony Andre, Joseph Bondy, Hunter Biden
MSNBC will air From Russia with Lev on September 20 at 9 PM ET. Grade: 4/5
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