Review of Leviathan (2014) by Matthew C — 24 Jun 2015
Well-acted. Beautifully shot. Unquestionably one of the best films of 2014.
Leviathan is a Russian film about a poor auto repairman named Kolya and the strain that his legal property battle with the local government puts on his small family. With a very deliberate pace -- sometimes frustratingly so -- and a fairly simple, domestic story, it's surprising just how grand, sweeping, and even Shakespearean the movie feels. Surely much of this epic-ness is due to the drama's themes and story elements: corrupt bureaucracy, religious hypocrisy, infidelity, classism, the state vs its people, etc, etc.
The film doesn't simply speak to Russian corruption, but to common, repeating narratives of corruption throughout the globe. Likewise, Leviathan's title isn't simply representative of the obstinate force faced by Kolya in the depraved mayor out to get his property, its representative of the seemingly immovable behemoth of evil that dogs the human heart. Without ever turning into a preachy message film, this drama makes itself important. Indeed, it feels important. Check it out.
This review of Leviathan (2014) was written by Matthew C on 24 Jun 2015.
Leviathan has generally received very positive reviews.
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