Leviathan (2014)
Andrey Zvyagintsev
Oleg Negin
141 mins.
Drama, Foreign
December 25, 2014
Rated R for language and some sexuality/graphic nudity. (MPAA)
“Whoosh,” go the waves as they crash against rock. In and out they go, in a seemingly never-ending dance. They’re a metaphor for the perpetual violence in life. It always has been, and it always will be.
“Leviathan,” a Russian film by Andrey Zvyagintsev, begins by focusing on those waves. Those opening moments are a potent blend of sights and sounds. Orchestral music quickens your pulse as it accompanies the crisp sounds of life. We see the ruins of capsized boats immersed in the dreary, savage beauty of the rocky seaside. This isn’t a resort, folks.
When the characters are introduced and begin to engage in dialogue, their words are both blunt and specific. Each character has a particular way of speaking, which represents who they are. (The subtitles do a great job of conveying that.) In addition, there are both moments of silence and economical shifts from scene to scene.
Essentially, the characters match the landscape. For instance, a father, Kolya, pops his son, Roma, on the head for being rude to Lilya, the wife of the father and stepmother of the son. The son alternates between accepting and rejecting his stepmother. At this point, we don’t know how long she’s been his stepmother, though. We’re simply thrust into their lives. At the moment, this family faces the possibility of being booted out of its Northern Russian home. The mayor, Vadim, wants the property in order to build a town communications center. His methods to obtain the property don’t seem right; they have the stink of politics and greed.
But the family isn’t alone. Kolya’s longtime friend, Dmitri, has traveled from Moscow to help Kolya either keep his home or receive fair compensation for it. Lilya doesn’t really care; she just wants to move. But Dmitri has dirt on the mayor, so he’s confident that something will be worked out. What do you think happens?
“Leviathan” certainly isn’t light entertainment. Its major focus is on loss: the loss of faith, both in religion and in the law, along with the losses of morality, truth, friendship, love, and forgiveness. It has a distinctly Russian perspective (Vladimir Putin’s picture is displayed on Vadim’s office wall, after all), yet it also feels universal. However, in contrast to the heaviness, every now and then, it has moments of tenderness: like when Kolya and Dmitri bond after one of Kolya’s outbursts. It also has moments of humor: when Dmitri uses the outhouse for too long, for instance. Either way, Zvyagintsev let’s the story (and the actors) tell itself. He has a steady yet unobtrusive hand.
Despite that, though, about halfway through, “Leviathan” hits the skids. The unconventional narrative momentum that it has early on enters a stalling pattern. It’s just too long. It still displays skill and intention, but it loses much of its bite. It loses its palpable connection to its title. Furthermore, as it nears its end, the events come across rather predictably. The lack of predictability before those ending moments make that much more noticeable.
Kolya’s journey throughout “Leviathan” is a struggle. Toward the end of the film, he speaks to a priest who tells him the story of Job as a cautionary tale. How original. Plus, the further we get into the film, the more Kolya drinks. (He’s not the only one.) Is it the drinking that leads to his undoing, or is it something else? In today’s world, is all lost regardless of what we do? Do we have any power? Will Kolya eventually find Job-like relief? Will we?
Verdict: Good
About: (Source: leviathan)
The latest drama from Andrey Zvyagintsev, the acclaimed director of The Return (Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner and Golden Globe nominee). Kolya (AlexeÏ Serebriakov) lives in a small fishing town near the stunning Barents Sea in Northern Russia. He owns an auto-repair shop that stands right next to the house where he lives with his young wife Lilya (Elena Liadova) and his son Roma (SergueÏ Pokhodaev) from a previous marriage.
The town’s corrupt mayor Vadim Shelevyat (Roman Madianov) is determined to take away his business, his house, as well as his land. First the Mayor tries buying off Kolya, but Kolya unflinchingly fights as hard as he can so as not to lose everything he owns including the beauty that has surrounded him from the day he was born. Facing resistance, the mayor starts being more aggressive…..
