In a 2023 interview with GoldDerby, Daniel Roher spoke about a critical moment captured in the film where one of Alexei Navalny's alleged poisoners seems to admit involvement over the phone: "I don't speak a word of Russian, so when we were shooting that scene I didn't really understand the intricacies of what was being said. But just reading the temperature in the room, reading the facial expressions, we understood, despite our language skills, or lack of skills, we knew exactly what was happening. We knew that something explosive was being recorded. I remember filming and Maria Pevchikh's jaw, this is Navalny's chief investigator, she's depicted in the scene. Her jaw unhinges and hits the floor, and in that moment I just remember thinking to myself, 'Just keep shooting. Just keep shooting. Just. Keep. Shooting.'"
Alexei Navalny died in prison under suspicious circumstances on February 16, 2024.
During the film's making, its team referred to it under the working title 'Untitled LP9'. Producers said that alluded to a nickname they've seen Russia's security agency use for Novichok: 'Love Potion No. 9'.
It won the Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards.
It was produced by HBO Max and CNN Films in partnership with Fishbowl Films, RaeFilm Studios and Cottage M.