Welcome to Chechnya

Welcome to Chechnya, in Australia on DocPlay, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max Amazon Channel, earns the access it was given and does something with it. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. The storytelling serves the subject rather than the other way around. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on DocPlay.

Welcome to Chechnya is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Welcome to Chechnya approaches its subject with the rigour that makes documentary storytelling worth taking seriously. This searing investigative work shadows a group of activists risking unimaginable peril to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ program raging in the repressive and closed Russian republic. Unfettered access and a remarkable approach to protecting anonymity exposes this under-reported atrocity–and an extraordinary group of people confronting evil. Maxim Lapunov and Olga Baranova bring credibility that the subject matter deserves. It hit screens in 2020. What elevates Welcome to Chechnya above most documentary work is a refusal to settle for the easy version of the story. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For viewers who want their entertainment to leave them with something, Welcome to Chechnya delivers on both counts. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Rigorous in a way documentary work does not always commit to. Not background viewing — it rewards your full attention.

Welcome to Chechnya was released in 2020, directed by David France. The full 107-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.