
Lauren Brinkman and Wyatt Rogowski’s editing takes on a frenetic pace, instilling the infiltration of Russia during the World Cup in 2018 to retrieve Rodchenkov’s stashed diaries back to America with the verve of an espionage thriller. They force us on a treadmill of watching a stoic Rodchenkov living in exile, combing through a barrage of clips where Putin tries to discredit the scientist to the world, and a stream of examples of Russia assassinating political enemies and purported traitors.

In “Aftermath,” these diaries prove to be, at least initially, a frustrating red herring.
#Aftermath movie plus
In “Icarus,” Rodchenkov’s meticulous journals - which outlined his daily routine, plus nefarious meetings and strategies in which he participated with his government’s approval - proved indispensable in carving a case against Russia, so it makes sense for them to take center stage again here. In “Aftermath,” Rodchenkov’s hidden diaries, which he left in Russia before he arrived in America in 2015, become a focal point of Fogel’s desire for earth-shattering news. That established knowledge can give “Aftermath” a repetitive quality, especially as Fogel tries to recapture the enrapturing fact-finding glamour of his previous film. So, unlike “Icarus,” there are few opportunities for Fogel to unearth shocking secrets. We are also aware how the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) attempted to hold Vladimir Putin’s government accountable for the decades-long, state-backed corruption of their own testing program. Having lived the last five years, we know that in the following month and years after “Icarus,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Russia from competing but not their athletes. It’s why no one would blame you if you walked into the follow-up to Fogel’s “Icarus” with mocking disapproval.īut Fogel achieves the miraculous, because “ Icarus: The Aftermath” isn’t just a marked improvement over “Icarus.” Instead, through following Rodchenkov’s journey to attain asylum in America, “The Aftermath” reconfigures our understanding of investigative documentaries by disclosing the difficult plight whistleblowers must endure once the cameras depart.įogel’s sequel initially takes place in the immediate dust of “Icarus.” With the assistance of a security team, and a lone cameraman following him, Rodchenkov moves from hotel to hotel, remote cabin to remote cabin, as he watches Russia deal with the consequences of their doping scandal whose ramifications turn out to be surprisingly light. And when they do - in films like “Fahrenheit 11/9,” “Powaqqatsi,” “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” - they struggle to match the splendor and wit of their predecessor. Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 45 Films the Director Wants You to SeeĮven in a cinematic landscape proliferated by sequels, documentaries rarely return with a part two.

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