Olivier Assayas presents his new film, The Wizard of the Kremlin at the 82° Venice International Film Festival competition.
Based on Giuliano da Empoli’s novel, the film tells the story of Vadim Baranov, the unofficial advisor to a former KGB agent destined to seize absolute power, the man who will soon be known as “The Tsar”, Vladimir Putin.
The Wizard of the Kremlin sees Paul Dano in the role of Vadim Baranov and Jude Law impersonating Vladimir Putin.
Paul Dano’s character is a fantasy character and only loosely based on real life Putin’s advisor Vladislav Surkov. The actor explains: “Surkov’s backstory is so different from Vadim Baranov. So no matter what, I would not be able to arrive at him”.
As for Jude Law’s challenging role playing Putin, the actor, who’s back in Venice after presenting last year The Order ( as the protagonist and producer) reveals: “I think one of the wonderful opportunities in acting and telling stories is to play different characters that you might learn something about yourself from or indeed about the the process of acting”.
Plot
Russia, early 1990s. The USSR has collapsed. Amid the chaos of a country rebuilding itself, a fiercely intelligent young man, Vadim Baranov, is charting his path. First, an avant-garde artist, then a reality TV show producer, he becomes the unofficial advisor to a former KGB agent destined to seize absolute power, the man who will soon be known as “The Tsar”, Vladimir Putin.
Immersed in the heart of the system, Baranov becomes the spin doctor of the new Russia, shaping
speeches, fantasies and perceptions. Yet one figure remains beyond his control: Ksenia, a free-spirited and elusive woman who embodies the possibility of escape — far from political influence and domination. Fifteen years later, after retreating into silence, Baranov agrees to talk. What he reveals blurs the boundaries between truth and fiction, belief and strategy. The Wizard of the Kremlin is a descent into the dark corridors of power, a film where every word serves a scheme.