“It’s no exaggeration to say that EXILE has the charge of an espionage thriller. …one of many canaries in the coal mine of democratic backsliding…a clarion call to act on the alarming warning signs before it’s too late.” - Marshall Shaffer, Slant Magazine
“That Kafkaesque sense of never being fully safe, of never being at peace with oneself, hovers over much of MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART II - EXILE, though it also never stops these women from getting the truth out.” - Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
“A globetrotting journey that proves harrowing in unexpected ways. [Julia] Loktev and co-editor Michael Taylor have, once again, crafted a conversational epic that imbues each twist and turn with enormous stakes.“ - Siddhant Adlakha, Variety
Saturday, December 5, 11:00 a.m. | In the follow-up to her award winning MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART ONE - LAST AIR IN MOSCOW, JulIa Loktevs picks up with the group of young journalists who flee Moscow when Russia invades Ukraine and shuts down all independent media, turning telling the truth into a crime. Just days before, they were working as part of a vibrant opposition community. Now they’re part of a historic exodus. They leave with a few hours’ notice, carry-on suitcases, and no idea what country will let them stay and keep working. They must quickly get back on their feet to report on the biggest story of their lives, a war they all fiercely oppose. Intimate and immersive, the film sweeps across four years and a dozen countries. The complex, razor sharp and often very funny women—and a few men—gather in apartments that feel like waystations and borrowed offices before being uprooted yet again. They work to bring Russians an alternative to propaganda, speaking out against their country’s war crimes and wrestling with personal moral accountability, even as Russia menaces them with criminal prosecution back home and physical threats abroad. Relying on dark humor to get through dark times, they keep working for the uncertain future of a country they may not return to for decades. As the years pass in exile, they have to redefine work, family, friendship, love, and home. Siskel Film Center exclusive.
Awards & Nominations
2026 BFI London Film Festival - Official Selection
2026 New York Film Festival - Official Selection
2026 Telluride Film Festival - Official Selection
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu