Synopsis
Refusenik chronicles the thirty-year international movement to free Soviet Jews. The first retrospective film about the movement, it has been called a "seminal" work on the subject. Told through the eyes of activists on both sides of the Iron Curtain - many whom survived punishment in Soviet Gulag labor camps - the film is a tapestry of first person accounts of heroism, sacrifice, and ultimately, liberation.
Scores
Overall Score
23.5
Popularity Percentile (Year)
2.1%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
18.2%
Review Aggregate
81.2
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 89% of 19 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize uplifting, character-driven, emotional. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
upliftingcharacter-drivenemotionalvisually strikingthought-provokingrealistic
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | ||||
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score91.0
RT critic review count23
Rotten Tomatoes audience score70.0
RT audience rating count50
IMDb rating8.1
IMDb votes48
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 2008 | $39,456 | $57,489 |
| International | 2008 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 2008 | $39,456 | $57,489 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 2008 | $19,728 | $28,744 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 2008 | $264,000 | $384,658 |
| Digital Purchases ? | 2008 | $94,000 | $136,961 |
| Physical Rentals ? | 2008 | $2,185,000 | $3,183,625 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 2008 | $4,527,000 | $6,596,005 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 2008 | $74,400 | $108,404 |
| Total Revenues | 2008 | $7,164,128 | $10,438,397 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 2008 | $248,000 (est) | $361,345 (est) |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 2008 | $80,000 (est) | $116,563 (est) |
| Participations | 2008 | $287,000 | $418,170 |
| Residuals ? | 2008 | $505,000 | $735,804 |
| Interest & Overhead | 2008 | $49,600 | $72,269 |
| Total Expenses | 2008 | $1,169,600 | $1,704,150 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 2008 | $5,994,528 | $8,734,247 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Fahrenheit 9/11 | 2004 | Shared genres: 1 | 87.4 | $149,890,765 |
![]() | Free Solo | 2018 | Shared genres: 1 | 87.1 | $25,984,082 |
![]() | Bowling for Columbine | 2002 | Shared genres: 1 | 86.1 | $62,944,215 |
![]() | Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour | 2023 | Shared genres: 1 | 85.8 | $87,607,891 |
![]() | Jackass Forever | 2022 | Shared genres: 1 | 85.1 | $46,545,808 |




