Andrey
Zvyagintsev’s curiously titled Leviathan
is a tragic and somber indictment of high-handedness and corruption borne out
of political authority, and the ensuing plight of common men at the receiving
end of the power structure. Moreover, the film’s central plot, viz. forcible
acquisition of a person’s land making use of state machinery for the ostensible
purpose of ‘development’, is sure to strike a universal chord. The tale
revolves around the precarious situation faced by Kolia (Alexei Serebriakov), a
self-employed resident of a small coastal town, whose piece of land the unscrupulous
and corrupt mayor (Roman Madyanov) is trying to forcibly purchase on a pittance.
Being an obstinate hot-head he refuses to bow down to the political and
administrative pressure, and instead decides to fight back with the help of his
Moscow-based lawyer friend Dmitri (Vladimir Vdovichenkov). As can be
anticipated, he loses on all counts as he’s literally crushed by the judicial
and extra-judicial means employed for the purpose. His ravishing second wife
Lilya (Elena Lyadova), who’s embroiled in an extra-marital affair with Dmitri,
and his teenaged son (Sergey Pokhodaev) who’s perpetually angry at his
step-mom, made for delicate familial dynamics, and its inevitable collapse is
hastened by the external forces thrust upon them. The breathtaking natural
beauty of the place was endowed with an ominous tone that competently evoked
the rich but sparse atmosphere and Biblical undertones. The opening and closing
scenes, where the unjust but anticipated rulings of the court are read in a
drone-like voice similar to disclaimers at the end of commercials on investment
products, cemented the film’s bleak socio-political commentary with a dose of
black humour.
Director: Andrei Zvyagnistev
Genre: Drama/Political Drama
Language: Russian
Country: Russia
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