Nissim dit Max

Two sons, Pierre and Vladimir, question their father, Max Léon, about his biography in a domestic environment. What could be a simple family chat expands to the complex dimensions of history, since his life is that of a certain destiny, first involved in the resistance, then as a major activist in the Communist Party. The two archivists widen the circle to listen to the testimonies of their mother, Svettlana, their sister, Michèle, and other witnesses, comrades in utopia: Jacques Rossi, a former Komintern agent deported to the Gulag, and Marina Vlady, who lived in the USSR in the 1930s and was the wife of the protest singer Vladimir Vyssotsky. History is filtered through conversations that do not exclude silence or questioning. – FIDMarseille

Directed by Pierre Léon, Vladimir Léon, Nissim dit Max leans on a strong ensemble — Michèle Léon, Pierre Léon, Vladimir Léon — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2004.