‘F@ck This Job’ review: The importance of having a voice

F@ck This Job is a story about sticking it to the Man while standing up for what you believe in. It is about a woman who refuses to be held down by the government. It is also tells the story of someone who comes from a privileged background and is sometimes not in tune with what is going on in the world. Overall, it is a tale about the importance of free press. 

When Natalya Sindeyva started the television station Dozhd, the idea was for it to be about fun pop culture fluff. Even in its earliest days, it was clear that it would be something different, however. More than half of the staff were gay, which is a major decision for a country that legally made queer people second class citizens. It was not long before the station became the leading source of news for many. 

Director Vera Krichevskaya was a founding producer of the station, but left within a year. This gives F@ck This Job additional insider access in telling its story. The film is able to spread its wings and tell a story that is as much about the change in Sindeyva as it is in Russia. F@ck This Job begins with a frivolous woman living in an optimistic country. Over time Dozhd shifts from a station about glamour to one that tackles the hard hitting issues Putin’s Russia does not want to be known. As the channel shares more stories with its audience, the country puts up more roadblocks to prevent them from reporting.

The attacks by the Russian government take a toll on the station and on Sindeyva herself. Financial ruin is eminent as Dozhd goes from being broadcast to millions of viewers to being streamed on YouTube from an apartment. Sindeyva loses most of her personal fortune and her husband divorces her. It is a case of truth being stranger – and scarier – than fiction. 

F@ck This Job is a powerful documentary that chronicles the changes in Russia while also showing the affects on one women. It highlights the importance of free press while also making it clear that those voices also have to put themselves at great risk. Its narrative may be specific to one country, but its message is global.