My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile, directed by Julia Loktev, follows independent Russian journalists who fled the country after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and tried to continue reporting from abroad. The nearly six-hour documentary is the second half of a project that began in Moscow in fall 2021. Select theatrical and festival screenings were reported for October 2026; a streaming or physical-media release has not been confirmed in the sources cited below.
What is My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile about?
Loktev began filming independent journalists in Moscow in fall 2021, as Russian authorities were beginning to label some reporters “foreign agents.” Four months later, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many of the journalists left Russia with only a few hours’ notice. Part II follows them as they disperse and continue working in exile. The British Film Institute describes a group of roughly a dozen journalists, nearly all women, who left in March 2022 and initially regrouped in cities including Istanbul and Tbilisi. The Associated Press and the BFI review report these details.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Amazing Nina Simone - A Documentary Film (DVD) | $25.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
American Experience: New York: A Documentary Film by Ric Burns | $99.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Score: A Film Music Documentary [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41rc5HqgpnL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Score: A Film Music Documentary [DVD] | $9.67 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
All Together Now: A Documentary Film | $17.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
CHOSIN: A Documentary Film by Brian Iglesias | $44.89 | Buy on Amazon |
The film is about more than the moment of departure. It follows the difficulty of sustaining independent journalism after leaving home, including the challenge of reaching audiences in Russia. BFI’s review describes the outlet TV Rain relaunching from Latvia and the journalists confronting new obstacles to reporting for Russian-language audiences.
The review also describes individual journeys that underline how varied exile could be. It reports that Ksenia Mironova returned to Russia for her journalist husband’s sentencing, and that longform journalist Elena Kostyuchenko returned from occupied Ukraine after learning she was reportedly on a checkpoint kill list. These are accounts as presented by BFI’s review.
#1 Best Overall
- Documentary Feature Film providing an in-depth look at the music, politics, activism, and bold life of music icon, Nina Simone.
- Only film to feature over 50 of Nina's friends, family, band members, lovers and fellow musicians, giving viewers a deeper, stronger understanding of Nina and her artistic intentions.
- Features her involvement with key friends and figures: Martin Luther King, Jr., Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Langston Hughes, Miriam Makeba
- Nina Simone's story from birth in the segregated American South to her death in the South of France
- The stories behind Nina Simone's most iconic songs: Mississippi Goddam, Four Women, Young, Gifted and Black, Why? The King of Love is Dead, Strange Fruit, Sinnerman, Porgy, Ne Me Qutite Pas, Wild is the Wind, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.
How does Part II relate to Part I?
The first film, My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow, portrays the journalists before the invasion, while they were still working in Russia. Part II shifts the setting to the journalists’ dispersed lives abroad and the uncertainty of sudden displacement. BFI characterizes the sequel as more chaotic and less structured, a form that reflects the upheaval it documents.
Part II briefly recaps the first installment, according to BFI, and AP reports that viewers do not need to have seen Part I beforehand. Watching the first film can provide a fuller sense of the people and circumstances that precede the exile, but it is not presented as a prerequisite.
Rank #2
- Factory sealed DVD
| Film | Period and setting | Reported runtime |
|---|---|---|
| Part I — Last Air in Moscow | Independent journalists in Moscow before the full-scale invasion | Nearly five and a half hours, according to AP in 2026 |
| Part II — Exile | Journalists after leaving Russia, continuing their work from abroad | Nearly six hours, according to AP and BFI in 2026 |
What is the filmmaking style?
Loktev filmed the journalists on an iPhone, a choice AP reports helped her blend into the background. As the subjects moved across Europe, she traveled between countries to continue filming. The result follows the group at close range rather than presenting their story as a distant overview.
Loktev has described it as “a hangout film” and “a friendly film,” according to AP. That description sits alongside a subject shaped by urgent departures and precarious circumstances: the camera stays with ordinary routines and relationships as the journalists try to keep working. The film’s central question, as Loktev put it to AP, is “how do you keep telling the story when attention moves away?”
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Rank #3
How long is it, and where can you watch it?
The reported runtime is nearly six hours. AP reported on October 9, 2026, that the film was opening in select theaters that weekend. BFI reports a Venice premiere and lists London Film Festival screenings on October 14 and 15, 2026. These are dated theatrical and festival details, not a continuing schedule.
The sources cited here do not establish a streaming date or DVD/Blu-ray release for Part II. AP mentioned MUBI availability for Part I when its 2026 article was published; that does not confirm that Part II is available there. Check current listings from the distributor or official screening venues for the latest access information.
Rank #4
Why the nearly six-hour runtime matters
This is a long film because it follows an ongoing upheaval rather than reducing it to a single escape or a quick account of what happened next. The journalists’ dispersion, efforts to resume reporting, and changing relationships to Russia unfold over time. AP describes the documentary as the culmination of a five-year project, begun in Moscow before the invasion and continued as the subjects scattered across Europe.
For viewers deciding whether to commit to a six-hour film about journalists, the clearest expectation is an extended, close-up account of people trying to persevere through exile. Loktev told AP the film is about ordinary people trying to do something good in an awful time, and about finding enough optimism to get up the next morning and do the work.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Quick Recap
Best Value
- Winner! Best Documentary, 2010 GI Film Festival
- "You Will Be Riveted" - NY Times
- "Superb" - LA Weekly
- "Deeply Moving" - Frmr Secretery of State Colin Powell
- "Profound" - Time Out NY
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
