Icarus

2017 2h 1min

Available on Netflix

This documentary explores the systematic doping of Russian athletes in the Olympic games. We largely know of this institutional corruption through information revealed by a whistleblower who was once in charge of the Russian doping program. Furthermore, as the whistleblower flees Russia in response to threats on his life, he becomes the responsibility of the filmmaker-turned-caretaker. We learn how the deception of Olympic officials was accomplished, how the Russian government directly sponsored the illegal doping program, and how far the government was willing to go in their attempts to cover up the mess—denials, lies, and assassinations. Revelations made in this film implicate all levels of the Russian state bureaucracy, nearly every Russian athlete, and the International Olympic Committee which turned a blind eye for years. The film makes us question the fairness of modern athletics and whether steroid-free sports are still possible.  

Sociological themes include: Sports, state-sponsored crime, politics, power, bureaucracy…