If you’re preparing to watch My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile, Julia Loktev’s nearly six-hour documentary follows independent Russian journalists who leave the country after Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and try to keep reporting from abroad. You can watch Part II without seeing Part I first, according to the Associated Press. The film’s specific story is Russian; the dangers and challenges of journalism in exile extend well beyond it.
Which documentary is this, and what does it follow?
The title points most directly to My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile, the second installment of filmmaker Julia Loktev’s documentary project about independent Russian journalists. Loktev began filming in Moscow in fall 2021. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many of the journalists she had been filming fled with little warning. She continued filming as they tried to report from exile. The second installment follows their dispersal over the next three years.
That chronology matters: this is not a general survey of journalists displaced around the world, nor a film about flight alone. The Associated Press describes it as a portrait of ordinary people trying to do their work during an awful period. Le Monde highlights the disruption of their lives and the consequences of displacement. As Loktev told the AP, “This is a film about very ordinary people who are just trying to do something good in an awful time.”
The shift from Moscow to life abroad changes the practical circumstances of their work as well as their surroundings. A journalist who leaves may need to rebuild everyday routines, professional relationships, and the means to report across borders. The point of the film’s second part, as described in the reports, is not simply that these journalists escaped; it is that they disperse and try to continue working while their lives have been disrupted.
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Do you need to watch Part I first?
No. The AP says Part II can be watched on its own. The installments cover different periods and circumstances, so Part I provides the Moscow context before the invasion, while Part II centers on reporting and life after the journalists flee.
| Installment | Period and focus | Reported runtime |
|---|---|---|
| My Undesirable Friends: Part I | Independent journalists in Moscow before the invasion; the project began filming in fall 2021. | Nearly five and a half hours, according to the AP. |
| My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile | Journalists’ flight and their efforts to keep working from abroad over the following three years. | Nearly six hours, according to the AP. |
These are extended works rather than short introductions to the subject. If you want the pre-invasion setting and relationships, start with Part I; if you are most interested in what happens after flight, the AP reports that Part II is accessible by itself. The useful comparison is the period and focus each installment covers, not a judgment about which one is more important.
The reported runtimes also matter when planning a screening: Part II is almost six hours, and Part I is nearly five and a half. Viewers who prefer to understand the people and setting before the upheaval may choose to begin with Part I, but the AP’s guidance means that doing so is not a prerequisite for following Part II.
What does “exile” mean for a working journalist?
Leaving a country can remove a journalist from immediate danger, but it does not necessarily end the pressures that made reporting difficult or unsafe. Exile can involve rebuilding a life and a newsroom across borders while facing uncertain legal status, surveillance, legal action at home, and the strain of displacement. Those are documented risks and examples, not a universal account of every journalist’s experience.
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The Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2024 report describes Russian journalists abroad facing surveillance and spyware, including Pegasus targeting, as well as legal pressure through proceedings in absentia. It also describes mental-health strain and the need for support after relocation. In 2023, CPJ supported 74 Russian journalists in exile in Latvia, Georgia, and other European countries. That is a figure for CPJ’s support in those places and that year, not an estimate of all Russian journalists in exile.
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For viewers, this context helps distinguish physical departure from a settled ending. A journalist may continue publishing from abroad while still confronting attempts to monitor or punish them, the practical difficulty of sustaining independent media, and the emotional effects of upheaval. CPJ’s examples describe broader conditions; they should not be assumed to be scenes or claims in Loktev’s film unless the film itself establishes them.
It is useful to think of safety as more than reaching a border. A person’s circumstances can depend on their host country’s legal protections and practical safety, whether they can keep working, and whether pressure from their country of origin follows them. CPJ’s account documents such risks in particular cases; it does not mean that every journalist in exile is surveilled, faces proceedings in absentia, or has the same support needs.
Is the film’s story representative of exile worldwide?
It is a particular Russian story, set in the aftermath of the February 2022 invasion. Journalists are forced into exile for different reasons in different countries, and their situations depend on such factors as why they fled, the safety and legal protections available where they arrive, whether they can continue working, and whether pressure crosses borders.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Reporters Without Borders reported in 2026 that its assistance-office data recorded journalists forced into exile from 65 countries over 2021–2025. In that data, the number of countries represented rose from 19 in 2021 to 40 in 2025. These are counts of countries represented among cases handled by RSF’s assistance offices, not a comprehensive census of every exiled journalist worldwide. They cannot be combined with CPJ’s support figure to produce a global total: the organizations, periods, and definitions differ.
The RSF figures show the breadth of the cases its offices encountered, not how many journalists worldwide were in exile. RSF’s 65-country figure covers a five-year period, while its change from 19 countries in 2021 to 40 in 2025 counts countries represented in its assistance-office data by year. Those measures help describe the spread of cases in that dataset; they do not establish a total population or make every country’s circumstances alike.
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RSF’s account includes examples from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Russia, Egypt, and Turkey. They underline why “exile” should not be treated as one uniform experience. A documentary focused on Russian journalists can offer a close view of one community without standing in for all journalists who have had to leave their countries. Differences in why someone flees, the protections available after arrival, the ability to publish, and the risk of cross-border pressure all matter when comparing experiences.
Can journalists keep reporting from exile?
Yes. Exile can disrupt access, routines, income, and collaboration, but journalists continue producing reporting and documentary work from abroad. Whether they can do so—and under what risks—depends on their circumstances and the support available to them.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteSupport may include relocation help, legal and psychosocial assistance, safety training, and shared media infrastructure. UNESCO’s 2026 account offers a distinct example: Sudanese photojournalist and documentary filmmaker Mohamed Zakaria continued his work in Uganda. He described its purpose this way: “For me, journalism is a way to defend the truth and ensure that the suffering of civilians in Darfur and across Sudan will not be erased.”
UNESCO also reported that temporary shelters in Port Sudan had assisted more than 40 journalists, and that the Nairobi Exile Media Hub had supported more than 150 exiled journalists from Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. These are program-specific figures reported by UNESCO in 2026, not counts of everyone displaced from those countries. They illustrate how assistance can address immediate safety as well as the conditions needed to keep journalism going.
Zakaria’s example is from Sudan and Uganda, not from Loktev’s film. It broadens the picture without suggesting that the experience is identical: journalists in different countries may need different combinations of refuge, legal help, psychosocial care, safety training, or media infrastructure. The Nairobi hub’s regional remit and the temporary shelters’ work in Port Sudan are examples of support programs, not a measure of the full need.
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What should you know about the filmmaking and viewing experience?
The AP and Le Monde report that Loktev filmed with an iPhone and describe the work as intimate and observational. The AP links the close access partly to Loktev’s relationship with the journalists. These are descriptions of the film’s reported approach, not a substitute for experiencing it yourself.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe AP describes Part II as nearly six hours and Part I as nearly five and a half hours. Treat those runtimes as the figures reported by the AP. On availability, the AP reported that Part I was streaming on MUBI, but the reviewed reports do not establish current U.S. streaming or purchase availability for Part II. Check a current listing or local theater schedule before making plans; distribution can vary by country and date.
Do not assume that the Part I streaming reference tells you where to watch Part II now. The reports establish a MUBI reference for Part I, but they do not confirm current U.S. streaming or purchase options for the second installment. If you are planning around the long runtime, verify the specific film, date, and local availability before choosing a screening.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to keep in mind as you watch
- Separate the timeline from the wider context. The film follows independent Russian journalists before and after the February 2022 invasion; global exile figures describe a much broader set of situations.
- Look beyond the moment of departure. The ongoing questions include whether people can safely live, publish, work together, and maintain support after relocation.
- Keep the evidence in scope. Reports from CPJ, RSF, and UNESCO provide context about documented risks, assistance cases, and other journalists’ experiences. They do not establish that every example appears in the film.
- Consider what endurance requires. Loktev told the AP, “The film is so much about perseverance and how do you keep telling the story when attention moves away?” That question connects the film’s close focus on individual lives to the difficulty of sustaining attention and independent reporting over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I know before watching a documentary about exiled journalists?
For this title, the likely film is Julia Loktev’s My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile. It follows independent Russian journalists after they flee following Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and try to keep reporting from abroad. Its story is specific to those journalists; exile experiences elsewhere differ.
What happens to journalists after they flee?
Flight may remove a journalist from immediate danger, but it can also mean rebuilding a life and work across borders. CPJ has documented examples of surveillance and spyware, legal pressure in absentia, mental-health strain, and support needs among journalists abroad. These are examples, not a universal experience.
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Can journalists keep reporting from exile?
Yes. Journalists continue reporting and producing documentary work from abroad, though their ability to do so depends on their circumstances and available support. Support can include relocation, legal and psychosocial assistance, safety training, and shared media infrastructure.
Do I need to watch Part I first?
No. The Associated Press says Part II can be watched without Part I. Part I covers the Moscow setting before the invasion; Part II focuses on flight, dispersal, and efforts to work from abroad.
How long are the two films?
The AP reports that Part II runs nearly six hours and Part I nearly five and a half hours.
Where can I watch Part II?
The reviewed reports do not establish current U.S. streaming or purchase availability for Part II. The AP reported Part I streaming on MUBI, but viewers should check current listings or local theater schedules for Part II.
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The Bottom Line
My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile follows one community of independent Russian journalists as they flee after February 2022 and try to continue working abroad. You can watch it without Part I, but its nearly six-hour runtime calls for planning. Keep its Russia-specific story distinct from wider evidence about journalists in exile: flight may not end the risks, and the circumstances and support available vary widely.
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