Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

Contrary to what is promoted in this film, it was not Pussy Riot's critique of religion, or the }patriarchy" that got them into legal trouble in Russia. It was going inside a church, and desecrating it through physical acts. What they got prosecuted for was not a "thought crime" or a free speech crime, but for what would be a prosecutable hate crime in the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the US, Canada, Australia etc.

What a shame. Free speech is important.Free speech that one side or the other consider despicable, discordant or prejudiced, is important to protect. There is nothing wrong with radically attacking through speech or art the ideas or beliefs that people hold. But the "performance art" INSIDE the church by Pussy Riot is not, and never was, the same as Hebdo cartons, or Mapplethorpe's P sschrist. This film is utterly full of false narrative of what happened. Pussy riot could have done the same thing on the public sidewalk outside that church and not been prosecuted. They decided to go in , not leave, even get up on the alter. if you did that in Paris, London, Washington DC you'd go to jail too.

Some North American reviewers have dismissed PUSSY RIOT - A PUNK PRAYER for its lack of objectivity in its presentation of the three Russian girls, who dared to perform punk songs at the altar in Moscow's Orthodox Cathedral. I think that 'subjectivity' is precisely the film's point; the girls were tried and sentenced according to the subjective will of the Russian government. In a truly democratic society, different subjectivities are allowed, but not in Putin's Russia, where the girls are expected to apologize for their 'crimes' before being sentenced. Mike Lerner and Martin Pozdorovkin's film unfolds over the course of six months, taking in the performances of Pussy Riot, the trial and its aftermath. While you might not agree with what the girls actually did, they do have a point; they were simply trying to express their views, not incite religious hatred (as the authorities accused them of doing). In the current context, where individual struggles for freedom are being experienced in other territories, as well as Russia (Egypt, the Turkish Republic), PUSSY RIOT - A PUNK PRAYER offers a salutary lesson: the girls are not alone in trying to assert their democratic rights to free speech. Hopefully this film will be given a wide distribution, to make viewers worldwide aware of its important message.

The so-called Pussy Riot band never practices or performs with musical instruments. I guess their background music is pre-recorded by some other band that can actually play music.

The so-called band is just a bunch of dirty people wearing wool caps pulled down, with holes cut out for the eyes and mouth. Really trashy gang of malcontents who hate the Greek Orthodox Church and everything that is part of Russian culture.

The only thing I like about them is that they burn posters of Putin, who is a dictator of Russia. That took courage. They make a point that Democracy has been destroyed by Putin. I agree with that. It is a valid point.

However, by desecrating a Church, which is very sacred to the members of the Greek Orthodox religion, they deeply offended several million people. They also totally disrespected a place where people go to pray for their loved ones, baptisms, funeral services, etc.

It showed a lack of character on their part, and that they are not just against Putin, or for Democracy. Pussy Riot are anarchists and they are fascists in the way they attack the groups they do not agree with. They should have gone to prison, they deserved it.

This documentary tries to paint the dozens of participants in the Pussy Riot group as victims, but they are victimizers. They could have made their points in a constructive manner, but they realized that by being outrageous and destructive, they would get media attention.

This documentary is a must-see for anyone who doubts that terrifying sexism (much in the name of religion) and political repression exist, that young people are extremely courageous, and that art has the power to liberate the mind, heart, and spirit.

This documentary will give you respect for Pussy Riot members, their families, and their sympathizers, yet help you understand why Pussy Riot's detractors feel so threatened by the group.

Although much of the film covers legal proceedings against the group, and anyone who followed the trials and news related to the group knows the outcome, the film never drags. The filmmakers also give a brief but insightful look at some of the forces behind the the charged social and political environment in Russia, particularly around religion and social protest.

Well-done film!

It's challenging for North Americans to grasp that there's still danger in speaking your mind in many places in the world. So while we all knew of Russian punk collective Pussy Riot and we all heard about the arrest and prosecution of three of its members after an impromptu performance of "Punk Prayer – Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!" on the soleas of Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior, we might have been left a little befuddled about the exact magnitude of the uproar. The documentary Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer, from directors Mike Lerner and Maksim Pozdorovkin, goes a very long way in casting light on the situation.

The power of "punk" is hackneyed in the West by now, but Pussy Riot and members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich prove that in the more repressive areas of the world it still has the power to provoke. And while the women of Pussy Riot became a cause célèbre in the West, with such supporters as Madonna, Yoko Ono, and Amnesty International, we learn from Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer that the opinion of the Russian public was far more complicated and divided. While there's no doubt where the bias of this doc lies, the directors do an admirable job of documenting the turmoil surrounding three young women who stand on the courage of their convictions.

Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer is one to see. If you're not lucky enough to be in Toronto during HotDocs 13 or you can't score a ticket to any of the 3 screenings, HBO has bought the film and announced plans to air it June 2013.