Review of Leviathan (2014) by Arseniy V — 19 Feb 2015

There are many great elements here, but lack of thesis-clarity ultimately got in the way of my celebrating this one along with (seemingly) everyone else.

*Spoiler Alert*.

If the point here, is that the church is just an excuse for the sort of elitism described in Diamond's collapse - then the whole (ever key) "affair" puzzle piece, just doesn't appear to fit at all. If the idea instead, is that the biblical god himself plays an active role in said elitism - than this is undermined by the book itself (eye of a needle and all that). Nor, that aside, is the latter point driven home clearly enough - were that really the main conclusion here. And if this is supposed to be instead, about the ambiguity of these things - then why the emphasis on those who prosper being believers, while all the film's non-believer's, find themselves in such dire straights? Surely, there are plenty of counter-examples to add to the ambiguity of it all. Another 2014 Russian film, Durak/Fool, struck me as having covered much these same themes - in a much clearer, more-comprehensive and poignant fashion.