Legendary Russian filmmaker, **Alexander Sokurov’s mini-series Confession (1998), purportedly a drama, but — upon viewing — actually a “stealth” documentary, illustrates the absolutely miserable existence of young spiritless skin-and-bones sailors aboard a decrepit Russian ship in the Barents Sea: Old poorly maintained equipment in need of repair; food that does nothing good for morale; scrounging parties ashore; mundane soul-sucking tasks; cockroaches on the ship, etc. The mini-series verifies a Russia that has lost submarines; wrestled with their sole aircraft carrier – problem prone and damaged by fire; and now having to use old Soviet era equipment in the war in Ukraine. Damaged equipment. Damaged people. In a damaging system.
**Currently prohibited from leaving Russia due to his criticism of the war in the Ukraine.
