Putin's Kiss

Filmmaker Lise Birk Pederson profiles a politically active Russian teenager who begins to question her affiliation with the controversial Nashi movement after she befriends a dissident reporter who falls victim to a brutal assault. Once upon a time, Masha Drokova believed wholeheartedly in Vladimir Putin's vision of a new, more powerful Russia. And almost as soon as she joined Nashi, Masha seemed to be on the fast track to success. But from the moment Masha opens up an honest dialogue with a circle of liberal journalists, her political career begins to stall out. When outspoken blogger Oleg Kashin makes some critical remarks concerning Nashi's strong-arm tactics, an uncomfortable situation turns downright dangerous.