Written by: Jon Bertain, Bryan Fogel, Mark Monroe, Timothy Rode
Review: This Netflix documentary, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, is an intriguing, riveting, and somewhat unsettling look at the Russian doping scandal right from where it was leaked.
It starts out innocently enough, with little mention of Russia for some time, with the director Bryan Fogel setting out to make a documentary simply about steroids in sports. He sets out to prove how easy it is to get away with doping, by doing it himself with the help of Russian scientist, Grigory Rodchenkov. However, after some time, Rodchenkov reveals that Russia had a state sponsored doping program for the Olympics, and the focus shifts away from Fogel and to Rochenkov as the scandal becomes public.
It then turns into a tale of conspiracy and international intrigue. It goes in depth into the alleged doping, its effects, and the whistleblowing, while making several allusions to George Orwell's 1984. It also makes you fear for Rodchnkov, who has gone into the witness protection agency, under suspicion that Russian agents might be after him for leaking this information.
This is a very moving documentary, and very deserving of that Oscar.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Also, from now on I've decided to post every Sunday instead of Saturday to give me more time to write these.
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