Leviathan
Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
- drama
- crime
The story
In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.
What it’s like
Wide, stately compositions dominate: long static takes of a weathered house on a grey Barents-style shoreline, rusted hulks, bleached sky and iron-cold light that turns to washed-out dusk, with the wind and sea almost constantly present on the soundtrack. Dialogue is spare and sharp, and the rare score, a sombre orchestral swell, arrives like a verdict. Camera movement is slow and deliberate, often holding on faces and interiors long after the moment has passed. The vibe is bleak, unhurried and quietly furious, a slow-burning dread built from bureaucratic humiliation and the rot of a small place rather than action. It suits a grey afternoon, a rainy evening alone, or anyone wanting a film they must sit still for. Violence is sparse but sudden and physical, including one brutal beating and a graphic suicide; there is no gore for its own sake, but the bleakness is heavy throughout, with drinking, a few sexual scenes, and a crushing final act. It is for viewers who want austere, morally serious drama about power and despair, and who can tolerate a long, grim, unforgiving ending.
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