The documentary “Putin’s Kiss’’ charts the political awakening of Masha Drokova, the cute Moscow-born teenager who caused a stir when she planted a kiss on Vladimir Putin’s cheek while he was giving her a medal. She went on to call Putin her male ideal and joined Nashi, a group of young people brainwashed by the Kremlin into helping Putin with his dirty deeds. Tactics range from pooping on the hood of an opponent’s car to savagely beating people deemed enemies.
Danish director Lise Birk Pedersen watches as Masha rises to the top ranks of Nashi, with perks including a free car, apartment and college education. Her perspective begins to change when she befriends a liberal journalist, Oleg Kashin, who lands in the hospital when he’s worked over by a gang of thugs. She even joins a street protest demanding that the assailants be arrested.
“Putin’s Kiss’’ is more than just the portrait of a naive young woman. It’s a frightening look at Putin’s warped version of democracy.