Superpower: 3 Reasons You Need To Watch Sean Penn's New Ukraine Documentary
Be a witness to history
Posted on Sep 18, 2023 | 03:05pm
Two-time Academy Award®-winner Sean Penn set out to make a documentary feature about the journey of comedic actor turned Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. But when Vladimir Putin's Russia launched an attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on February 24, 2022, the project became a wrenching, front-row look at a country's fight for freedom.
Here's why you owe it to yourself to watch Superpower, now streaming on Paramount+.
1. It’s history come to life.
At its heart, Superpower is a human story – of a leader, President Zelensky, and a people who are fighting for their freedom. It tells the origin story of Zelensky, an actor and funnyman who played an unlikely presidential candidate on television before becoming the actual president of Ukraine. Though some doubted Zelensky's ability to be more than just a figurehead, Superpower shows how Zelensky was born for this role: a man who found himself at the gates of hell, and became an inspiration to an entire country.
2. It offers an up-close look at the war.
Filming on Superpower began in 2021. Over a two-year period, Penn traveled to Ukraine seven times for the project, and scored extraordinary access to Zelensky. Penn's first interview with Zelensky, seen in Superpower, was done on the first night of the invasion, as Russia launched rockets into Kyiv. After capturing the historical moment, Penn goes on to engage Zelensky in a very personal dialogue through several sit-down interviews. Zelensky tells Penn that, while his country needs support from the world, he is very much primed for battle: “If you’re not ready to win, don’t fight,”
3. It brings a far-away conflict home.
In Superpower, Penn interviews not only top Ukrainian officials, but ordinary citizens who put their lives on the line daily to defend their country. He speaks with protest musicians in Kyiv, teen soldiers, and those who've lost homes and loved ones during the conflict. Hearing the perspectives and patriotism of everyday Ukrainians makes the conflict seem both immediate and vital.
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Here's why you owe it to yourself to watch Superpower, now streaming on Paramount+.
1. It’s history come to life.
At its heart, Superpower is a human story – of a leader, President Zelensky, and a people who are fighting for their freedom. It tells the origin story of Zelensky, an actor and funnyman who played an unlikely presidential candidate on television before becoming the actual president of Ukraine. Though some doubted Zelensky's ability to be more than just a figurehead, Superpower shows how Zelensky was born for this role: a man who found himself at the gates of hell, and became an inspiration to an entire country.
2. It offers an up-close look at the war.
Filming on Superpower began in 2021. Over a two-year period, Penn traveled to Ukraine seven times for the project, and scored extraordinary access to Zelensky. Penn's first interview with Zelensky, seen in Superpower, was done on the first night of the invasion, as Russia launched rockets into Kyiv. After capturing the historical moment, Penn goes on to engage Zelensky in a very personal dialogue through several sit-down interviews. Zelensky tells Penn that, while his country needs support from the world, he is very much primed for battle: “If you’re not ready to win, don’t fight,”
3. It brings a far-away conflict home.
In Superpower, Penn interviews not only top Ukrainian officials, but ordinary citizens who put their lives on the line daily to defend their country. He speaks with protest musicians in Kyiv, teen soldiers, and those who've lost homes and loved ones during the conflict. Hearing the perspectives and patriotism of everyday Ukrainians makes the conflict seem both immediate and vital.