Absurd justice: documenting the show trial in Sergei Loznitsa’s The Trial (2018)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article interrogates the material history and conceptual origins of Sergei Loznitsa’s The Trial (2018), an archival documentary that re-edits restored footage and deleted scenes from Iakov Posel’skii’s 1931 propaganda documentary 13 Days, one of the Soviet Union’s earliest sound films. Shelved in state archives soon after its release, Posel’skii’s documentary chronicles the infamous Industrial Party Trial, in which a cabal of scientists and engineers were accused of undermining Soviet industry. To tell this story, The Trial relies on a lack of commentary supplemented by novel sound editing techniques including the addition of seemingly indexical sounds. This article investigates such devices as an attempt to immerse the viewer in a moment in time, thus creating a realistic experience of a historical event. In doing so, it provides insight into the cinematic techniques Loznitsa uses to repurpose archival materials, and touches on the role of the audience in Loznitsa’s film.