Leviathan
Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia, 2014o
In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is informed by the authorities that his house is to be demolished. Unwilling to accept his fate, Kolya fights back against the town's corrupt mayor. In his efforts, he seeks the support of an old friend who is now a lawyer, but the misfortunes nonetheless keep piling up for Kolya and his family.
No matter how gloomy the conditions in front of the camera are, no matter how sinister a director draws the human species: great films shine, their creative beauty acts as an antidote to the ugliness of what they portray. Leviathan is a prime example of this paradoxical experience. A garage owner and modern Job in a provincial town is gradually robbed of everything that is dear to him by the corrupt mayor and his henchmen with guns and priest's robes. But Andrej Zvyagintsev tells this drama in such a concentrated and surprising way that his lament about the biblical sea monster Leviathan, which in modern Russia has the head of a politician and the tail of a cleric, ties you up for 140 minutes without effort.
Andreas Furler
Die Regeln sind hart im Nordosten Russlands, an der Barentssee. Hier herrscht Überlebenskampf – auch in der Gesellschaft. Wenn du ein Wal bist, bleib weg von der Küste, und wenn du ein Mensch bist, bleib weg von der Macht. Sonst wirst du stranden wie Nikolai, der Automechaniker, der dem Bürgermeister in die Quere kam. Eine düstere Parabel vom allmächtig-korrupten russischen Staat mit biblischen Hiob-Bezügen, aber nicht nur – Andrej Swjaginzew fängt auch die Vitalität der Menschen überzeugend ein.
Tobias KniebeFilm noir aussi ténébreux et aride qu’était poétique et lumineux Elena, Leviathan est une œuvre pétrifiante tant elle est cruelle.
Alexandre JourdainAvec un casting plein de caractère, des images et des musiques de très haut vol, il aboutit une mise en scène épique palpitante, pleine d'éclat et même, par moments, carrément cocasse.
Alexis CampionGalleryo
