Leviathan (2014)★ 7.7/10

Russian cinema's satire of state machinery, symbolizing top-down numbness and indifference, has become almost repetitive. However, be it depicting the monstrous Leviathan or the struggles of ordinary people, the film fails to be impactful. The religious references and subplots about family relationships seem to dilute the conflicts rather than intensify them. Apart from a few scenes, the film lacks passion and fire.

The dramatic revelation of the protagonist's wife's infidelity is a major turning point in the story. It indicates that the protagonist's tragedy is not solely due to persecution by the state machinery but also underscores the mockery of fate and the feeling of being trapped.

The tone is bleak and profound, like an endlessly rolling, deep blue wave that turns into darkness. The colossal prehistoric creature's skeleton is as lonely as a star. It's a modern fable that erases the boundaries of time and space, where internal conflicts and external pressures intertwine. It depicts the collusion of capitalism and religion, the relationship between law and violence, and the disintegration of the family, a recurring motif in Andrey Zvyagintsev's work. The two courtroom scenes are particularly compelling.

Leviathan is a masterpiece with its cold palette, grandiose cinematography and surreal symbolism reminiscent of Andrei Tarkovsky's films. To simply view it as an award-winning movie about a Russian holdout that caters to the West would be unjust to the film and underestimating the director's talent. The metaphor of the Leviathan monster represents both the greed of the authoritarian state and the weakness of religion. The character Roma resembles the boy in The Return, and the question remains: will he escape the monster's devouring jaws when he grows up?

Um filme nu e cru sobre como funciona a corrupção em uma cidade pequena e como isso afeta a vida das pessoas ao redor nesse caso particularmente a de um pai de família que se vê refém de uma situação.
Recomendo para quem gosta de dramas que falam sobre situações que podem ocorrer com qualquer pessoa e que na vida real podem ter as mesmas consequências...