State Funeral

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1:31

State Funeral

Released May 7, 2021

2h 15m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Mourners flock to Moscow's Red Square to attend Josef Stalin's funeral.

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Critics Consensus

If State Funeral risks repetitiveness in its patient approach, the glimpse of history it offers remains a fascinating -- and frightening -- look at life under a totalitarian regime.

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Jay Weissberg

Variety

Both as film and as history, "State Funeral" stands as a canonical work.

May 29, 2021

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

In the loony seriousness of it all, "State Funeral" isn't spectator sport - it makes us active observers of a scary machinery, something to file away.

May 29, 2021

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

A found-footage documentary that captures life in thrilling, painstaking detail in the hours and days after Stalin's death.

Rated: 4/5

May 21, 2021

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Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

State Funeral broaches the fear and the massive mistakes Russians allowed in the Stalinist regime, but it reflects upon a world where tyranny is forgiven for the same reasons: a structure of convenience and money. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 27, 2022

Full Review

Agustín Acevedo Kanopa

La Diaria

Loznitsa redoubles reality because not only does he reincorporate real images (with impeccable colorization and sound editing work), but he orders and edits them as the person in charge of filming that state funeral would have edited them.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 30, 2022

Full Review

Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

Packed with the faces of consternation and tears of despair, State Funeral is both remarkable and tedious.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 23, 2021

Full Review

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william d

I found this film fascinating, albeit too long (how much footage of people carrying funeral wreaths do we really need to see anyway?) The film truly conveys what it was like in the Soviet Union immediately following Stalin's death. Despite the murder of more than 25 million of their fellow citizens the look of grief on the faces of the people appears genuine, proving the effectiveness of Soviet propaganda.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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State Funeral: Trailer 1

1:31

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Synopsis

Mourners flock to Moscow's Red Square to attend Josef Stalin's funeral.

Director: Sergei Loznitsa
Screenwriter: Sergei Loznitsa
Distributor: MUBI
Production Co: Atoms & Void
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Theaters): May 7, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 21, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.4K
Runtime: 2h 15m

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