The powerful Russian politician has never been the subject of such an intimate portrayal on film, and certainly not from the perspective of a Western journalist who can edit the footage as he sees fit. Putin normally doesn't let journalists get too close to him. For him, journalists are nothing but vicarious agents for his elaborate propaganda productions, in which he is often shown posing in Formula 1 cars or fighter jets.

The Kremlin media pool, a group of more than two dozen handpicked journalists, accompanies Putin during his public appearances. The journalists often spend hours playing billiards at his residence outside Moscow while waiting for the chronically late Putin. Some of them were clearly jealous when the premier decided to grant such unprecedented access to Seipel, giving interviews in which nothing was off-limits except Putin's private life.

The filmmaker manages to establish considerable intimacy with the prime minister, who is aiming to once again become president, but without being taken in by him. He also manages to break through the façade that Putin might have been hoping to present. Putin plays the tough guy, while Seipel shows that there is a certain weakness and sadness to always having to play this role.