I finally went to see Leviathan. A Russian film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, written by Oleg Negin & Andrey Zvyagintsev. It's a film about Kolya (played by Aleksey Serebryakov) who fights against a corrupt mayor when he is told that he will lose his land and house. He recruits a lawyer friend Dmitriy (played by Vladimir Vdovichenkov) to help, who winds up bringing more misfortune for Kolya and his family. Elena Lyadova plays his wife Lilya. I was warned that this was a "depressing" movie. In reviews I've read, they've compared the film to a modern-day depiction of the biblical story of Job. Yes, the movie was difficult to watch because the things that went wrong only got worse as the film progressed. It's a meditation on the inequality of human beings but adding another layer on how every action has a reaction and a consequence. At times, they could have curbed some of the words, it sometimes felt a bit overwrought. However, the dark humor help relieved some of the angst.
On another note...
The cinematography in this movie is gorgeous. Long winding roads along the stark landscape of a Russian coastal town. Dark overcast days. Even when the sun comes out it's only to illuminate hidden truths. Then there are long slow pans of the camera over the sea-washed whale bones on a beach. Or the skeletal remains of old boats half-hidden beneath water lines. The teen boys drinking in the ruins of church while firelight reflects against the fading frescos. Beautiful.
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