LEVIATHAN - Outstanding Film Don't Miss It

[Gator]

Family and I are in NYC.  We saw the Russian film Leviathan.  Guardian calls it a masterpiece.  Nominated for Golden Globe Best Foreign Film.  Rotten Tomatoes - 100% review.  One critic wrote, "... easily the most important and imposing film to emerge from Russia in recent years."

The film is a human tragedy paralleling the story of Job in the Bible.  Job is an ordinary yet proud Russian mechanic.  He is swallowed not by a whale, but a leviathan in the form of Russian injustice and governmental corruption.  The leviathan makes a mockery of property rights and destroys those who fight back.    My wife sadly commented this can happen in Russia if you have no power or money. 

Trailer:  http://sonyclassics.com/leviathan/

Reviews:  http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/22/cannes-2014-leviathan-review-film

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/09/leviathan-review-andrey-zvyagintsev-epic-everyday

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/leviathan-2014


Interview with Director expressing his contempt of Russian politics:  http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/06/leviathan-director-andrei-zvyagintsev-russia-oscar-contender-film

The director would give great length and detail to some unimportant scenes, yet a few events important to the story were left to the imagination.  There are plenty of fiercely tense scenes however.  The film depicts the simple clergy as  God serving yet implicates the church hierarchy as part of the leviathan.  Alcohol and  cursing are rampant.  One reviewer called the film anti-Putin yet Putin is not mentioned and seen only in one younger photo hanging on the mayor's wall.   Although critical of Russian local government, Russia submitted this film for the Academy Awards. 

Much to discuss as people see this film.     

[dogspot]

I can't wait to see this. Andrey Zvyagintsev is one of my favorite directors. I highly recommend all of his films but The Return (2003) is one that stands out as his masterpiece. Thanks for the heads-up on this Gator. I remember reading that he was working on this late last year but had not given it much thought until reading your post. My mother-in-law will be here next week and we will be making a night out in LA to see this.

[lordtiberius]

Bret Easton Ellis named this film as the second best film of the year.  Boyhood being #1.  This film was made with state funds.

[Faux Pas]

I thought is was an entertaining and a good reflection of Russian life as I know it. I didn't see it by any means as a great film. Certainly worth watching and I would've paid to see it in the theatre and feel like I got my moneys worth but I'm not raving about it. If I wasn't intimately familiar with Russia, I wouldn't have liked it

[bagalia]

I thought it a good depiction also and the acting was good. It was interesting but not great at all. I am not into the traditional Russian open ended movies. I thought in that sense the ending sucked so the movie in general sucked also.

His other movie "the return" was better.

[mendeleyev]

I thought that you might like to see a Russian language poster on the film. I have not seen it.

[calmissile]

I thought that you might like to see a Russian language poster on the film. I have not seen it.

We watched it last night.  Unfortunately,  I need to watch it again.  Something about wifely learning English and constantly giving a narrative during the show.    Making a DVD tonight so I can see it again while she is shopping or at school.

[Chicagoguy]

Bret Easton Ellis named this film as the second best film of the year.  Boyhood being #1.  This film was made with state funds.

Don't understand why high quality films like these two aren't in general release. Only 1 theater in Chicago that I know of has these. 1 hour away from me and little parking. Maybe $19 plus tip if you can use a nearby restaurant valet.

But Transformer type movies can be on 2 screens at 3 nearby theaters.

[Larry1]

Don't understand why high quality films like these two aren't in general release. Only 1 theater in Chicago that I know of has these. 1 hour away from me and little parking. Maybe $19 plus tip if you can use a nearby restaurant valet.

But Transformer type movies can be on 2 screens at 3 nearby theaters.

I'm afraid that's the direction the movie biz has gone. And you're in one of the major cities in the US. I doubt you could find this film at all if you lived in a smaller city. I sometimes think about the great films of the 20th century and wonder how many could be made today.

I suppose the only thing to do now is to wait for them to come out via Netflix or Amazon.

[Gator]

Don't understand why high quality films like these two aren't in general release. Only 1 theater in Chicago that I know of has these. 1 hour away from me and little parking. Maybe $19 plus tip if you can use a nearby restaurant valet.

But Transformer type movies can be on 2 screens at 3 nearby theaters.

Easy answer.  Teenagers account for the majority of film goers.  Thus:  action films for the males and vampire love stories for the females.  I guess the action films of today are akin to the John Wayne and Steve McQueen films, except the theaters seem to have a new one every week while John Wayne did only three per year. 

Perhaps cable television is filling the void for adults, yet even on cable I note less exposure to foreign films today than I had in the past.  Where is the Roberto Benigni of today?

There is more, and it is sad in my opinion and does not speak well about the US.   Namely, we are lacking in sophistication in many ways, especially with regard to the world.

In the 1960s I went to undergrad school at a state university in the South.  It was not a hotbed for liberal thinking, with no socialistic tenured professors (as I later encountered in my Ivy League days).  90+% of the students were small town southern boys like me.  We were kept plenty busy studying rigorous subjects such as calculus and thermodynamics. Nevertheless, our not large university would show foreign flicks free at the student union.  I never missed a film, marveling at the glimpses of life beyond the redneck South, such as 8 1/2, Wild Strawberries, La Dolce Vita,..... 

One film was Soviet-made "Ballad of a Soldier."  I absolutely loved the film:  the story, the style (so different from American films), the cinematography, the slice of Soviet wartime life, etc.   I had a warm feeling about Russia ever since, and it helped fuel my burning desire to explore the world.   

[lordtiberius]

I just watched it here:

http://parkino.net/2014-09-leviafan.php

I am curious for those who saw the film how much of it reflects life in Russia.

[Faux Pas]

I just watched it here:

http://parkino.net/2014-09-leviafan.php

I am curious for those who saw the film how much of it reflects life in Russia.

You'd need to get a Russian's opinion on that but for me, it was pretty realistic

[lordtiberius]

Wow.

It was very disturbing.

A lot foreign film isn't that good.  There notable exceptions.  The French silent film and the German The Lives of Others.  Storytelling styles differ culturally which in and of themselves is interesting.  This year has been a good year for films and I count this one among the best.  And here's why:

1) the acting, the writing, cinematography and art direction make for a great film.  This film meets each of this categories serviceably.
2) the world of the story is novel.  There aren't many stories from the Artic Circle.
3) the level of detail the director put in each scene, a lot of the violence was just off screen, * spoiler * there are little moments of humor especially when Angela's son asks what is Mayhem?  Angela responds: when you threw the cat into the fire.
4) the statements the director makes against the church are very damning


Its a good movie.

[lordtiberius]

Russian critic answers Russian critics about Russophobia of this film


http://calvertjournal.com/comment/show/3593/leviathan-zvyagintsev-yury-saprykin-russian-film-meduza

[Natali_Tsymbalyuk]

Leviathan is a terrible movie!
All appropriate people of Ukraine and Russia to think so.
The creators of the film "fanned" of his super movie. But all the critics were bought. In fact, he does not deserve such high ratings. On Youtube there are a lot of Russian bloggers who do a review for this movie. They soberly appreciate it.

I do not recommend watching this movie. You have may arise impression that not correct  about Russia and  how people live here.

[AC]

Leviathan is a terrible movie!
All appropriate people of Ukraine and Russia to think so.
The creators of the film "fanned" of his super movie. But all the critics were bought. In fact, he does not deserve such high ratings.

I have not seen the movie, yet.  What evidence do you have that all the critics were bought?  Interesting statement.

Of course it is not the normal life of a normal Russian or Ukrainian person, but that is not the point of it, now is it?

[Boethius]

The man in the video is saying that people are criticizing the movie without having seen it.

[Photo Guy]

Review:
Leviathan
I knew nothing about it going in- thought it might be a science fiction.
Like many other films, i found the pacing of the plot too slow. It kind of plods along. The characters were very interesting. The photography was excellent. The ironies presented were right on target, based on impressions of the contemporary culture there. The film creates a mood of hopelessness. In part, I think this is what the Revolution of Dignity was all about in Ukraine. A rebellion against the corruption and cynicism of the established norm in ex-Soviet countries. Symbolism is everywhere in this film. The corruption of power is taken to an extreme not seen (yet) in the West, not since Nazi Germany. The tone is sadistic. Even in Germany, I doubt bribery had ever attained the level seen today in Russia and parts of eastern Europe, the FSU. So while Ukrainians today yearn for an end to corruption and a prosperity observed in Poland and much of the West, Russians are looking back at a former Soviet Union as some sort of idealized fantasy. What do Russians want? Don't they want freedom and prosperity? ...and why is Russia so afraid of NATO? What has NATO done to them? I suspect that the revolution in Ukraine frightens Putin. I don't think he allows himself the freedom to imagine a government BY THE PEOPLE, rather than a government that controls the people. That is his fear, his confusion. So he reacts by playing a simple part- THE BULLY.
    ...I admit- I do like many foreign films and this film has a very Bergman quality. It feels austere and that suits the subject.   

[AC]

Review:
Leviathan
I knew nothing about it going in- thought it might be a science fiction.
Like many other films, i found the pacing of the plot too slow. It kind of plods along. The characters were very interesting. The photography was excellent. The ironies presented were right on target, based on impressions of the contemporary culture there. The film creates a mood of hopelessness. In part, I think this is what the Revolution of Dignity was all about in Ukraine. A rebellion against the corruption and cynicism of the established norm in ex-Soviet countries. Symbolism is everywhere in this film. The corruption of power is taken to an extreme not seen (yet) in the West, not since Nazi Germany. The tone is sadistic. Even in Germany, I doubt bribery had ever attained the level seen today in Russia and parts of eastern Europe, the FSU. So while Ukrainians today yearn for an end to corruption and a prosperity observed in Poland and much of the West, Russians are looking back at a former Soviet Union as some sort of idealized fantasy. What do Russians want? Don't they want freedom and prosperity? ...and why is Russia so afraid of NATO? What has NATO done to them? I suspect that the revolution in Ukraine frightens Putin. I don't think he allows himself the freedom to imagine a government BY THE PEOPLE, rather than a government that controls the people. That is his fear, his confusion. So he reacts by playing a simple part- THE BULLY.
    ...I admit- I do like many foreign films and this film has a very Bergman quality. It feels austere and that suits the subject.

Now that was a great review.  Were you bought?   

[Photo Guy]

I'm a personal friend of Medvedev. We went to high school together in England. (if you must know!)

[AC]

I'm a personal friend of Medvedev. We went to high school together in England. (if you must know!)

Yeah right.  How much did he pay you for that review?   

[mendeleyev]

Given that the film was partially funded by the Russian cultural ministry, it brings a smile to see how it is often attacked by Russians.

I saw it just recently, and actually, it is quite a fair representation of how life works outside of Russia's major cities.

[Gator]

Leviathan is a terrible movie!
All appropriate people of Ukraine and Russia to think so.
The creators of the film "fanned" of his super movie. But all the critics were bought. In fact, he does not deserve such high ratings. On Youtube there are a lot of Russian bloggers who do a review for this movie. They soberly appreciate it.

I do not recommend watching this movie. You have may arise impression that not correct  about Russia and  how people live here.

Natasha, did you see the film?

Or because of your young age, you have not yet experienced firsthand the monstrous level of corruption that can swallow an honest man, taking everything from him.   

My Russian wife is 50-yo.  My wife and I saw the film Leviathan in New York City when it first opened around Christmas.  I summarize her words, "Such can be life in Russia if you have something somebody wants and not the money and power to fight back."

When in her 20s and 30s my wife socialized in the highest circles of her province.  Her ex-husband was a very intelligent man (one of the first manufacturers of personal computers).  He owned a factory (not computers) and lost everything in a fairly quick turn of events.   She does not say much....suffice it to say, it would not have happened in America based on the little I know.

Her life in Russia had other horrible experiences, on the periphery and fortunately not as an eyewitness, to include attempted murder in one case and a multiple homicide shooting in another.

[lordtiberius]

Leviathan is a terrible movie!
All appropriate people of Ukraine and Russia to think so.
The creators of the film "fanned" of his super movie. But all the critics were bought. In fact, he does not deserve such high ratings. On Youtube there are a lot of Russian bloggers who do a review for this movie. They soberly appreciate it.

I do not recommend watching this movie. You have may arise impression that not correct  about Russia and  how people live here.

Watch the movie.  Then tell me its crap.  Thx

[Gator]

Leviathan is now airing on cable.  The network Starz is showing it periodically but not in HD.

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 99%.  on the Tomatometer (approved critics).  The audience gave it a score of 79%.  So I guess Natali Tsymbalyuk in this thread is not a critic.   


http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/leviafan/?search=levi