Review: The actor never seems terribly drawn to the stories of the people in Ukraine who dwell outside of the corridors of power
By all appearances, Penn’s intentions are not bad. He has a platform and he is using it, not to line up free training sessions at Hollywood gyms or private dinners in Malibu but to embed in a war zone and spread the word about the atrocities he has been seeing up close. But this film offers little in the way of Ukraine insight. Instead it serves as a queasy-making examination of the celebrity-blighted news cycle where somebody like Penn is the de facto messenger of tragedy.
With its rushed rhythms and diligent marshalling of facts that will probably feel familiar to regular readers of any international publication, the project’s most novel revelation is how fame lubricates access. One can’t help wondering about the seasoned reporters in the field who were and are left to piece the story together without prime seats at the tables where dignitaries and politicians break bread.
For all his freewheeling curiosity, Penn never seems terribly drawn to the stories of the people who dwell outside of the corridors of power. He lights up in the company of Zelenskiy, another entertainer in a body-con T-shirt. A visit to a woman whose home has been bombed and who wryly explains that she won’t be serving tea seems cursory, a wasted opportunity. But maybe Penn is more sophisticated than he lets on and he’s offering a message that doesn’t come through on his CNN and Hannity appearances.
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