Bellissimo mwah mwah mwaaah

♡〜٩( ˃́▿˂̀ )۶〜♡

Leviathan is a fascinating tale of corruption and betrayal, relying on some intriguing visual allegories and symbolisms as a way to propel the story. I was surprised by the great amount of witty humor in the first portion of the film, which proved to be very entertaining, also serving as a display of helplessness towards the abuse of power and corruption that surround the town. Then, we follow the destructive paths some of the characters end up taking and the film becomes truly somber. The performances are all top notch and we are rewarded with some of the most breathtaking cinematography ever shown on screen. Director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s geniality consists in leaving it up to the viewer to decide what to make of the fate of these people, ending the picture with a very clever and tragically ironic turn of events. Leviathan is one of the year’s finest films and an absolute must-see!

Some of the most beautiful cinematography of all-time...

I’ve honestly never seen a movie with acting that doesn’t feel like acting. It’s like this movie just found a drunk chaotic family with issues and started recording all of their issues. It feels so insanely authentic to the point where you wanna cry just looking at them drown out their problems in any way they can

This modern version of the Old Testament story about Job results in a strong social drama with critique about government control. Beautiful cinematography filled with nature shots and a subtitle soundtrack by Philip Glass. The drama is quite intense and heavy but the emotional impact wasn’t as strong as I hoped it to be. The charachters are interesting enough although the mayor was a bit of a caricature. Also crazy how much vodka they drank throughout the movie lol

Woooooo sounds like Russia is where the real party is at fellas

preparing for loveless tomorrow — phew if it’s as depressing as this i’m gonna have a real fun time

First Time Watches 2021

About as oppressively bleak as they come, this is a Russian drama that retells an age old religious story and uses it to critique the various political, social and religious corruption that is consuming the nation.
To say the main character of this film has a shitty few weeks is an understatement.

The look of this film is absolutely stunning, with gorgeous locations and a cinematographer who damn well knew how to use them. The performances are great across the board and I respect the ambitious dramatic vision, even if I think it sort of loses its subtlety and gets lost in itself as it goes along. Definitely keen to check out the rest of Zvtagintsev's work.

That courtroom clerk was straight spitting BARS.

The home that’s left when God pisses off for cigarettes and never comes back

wow i didn't expect that this film was this good. i really liked it. i liked transitions scene to scene. i mean pigs eating food and then man eating his soup. i really liked this film, it's about injustice.

lindo, lindo, lindo. a imponência desse leviatã russo, tão corrupto. muito semelhante ao brasil em muitos aspectos. inclusive, é uma tecla que eu bato bastante: a rússia e o brasil guardam tantas semelhanças que lá, um brasileiro se sentiria em casa.

enfim, antes um leviatã hobbesiano do que um beemote.

A great way to die would be getting bonked on the head by a big whale bone.

Leviatan es una película sofisticada, filosófica, con un humor oscuro, pero que al final termina desmoronándote. Por desgracia creo que es tan sutil y tan larga que me agotó. 
Desde el título esperas en todo momento alguna referencia a la figura bíblica o al libro de Hobbes. Efectivamente hay un constante cuestionamiento a la fe, la resignación y la verdadera palabra de Dios. También toca el tema del egoísmo y la mala comunicación que tenemos como seres humanos. 
Definitivamente veo una tradición rusa de conflicto interno y de moralidad muy a la Dostoyevsky.
La película está está hecha con una gran maestría y tiene todos los elementos por ser una joya, pero sí me faltó un poco más de empuje para que me acabara de gustar. En fin, ya estoy muy viciado y me falta elegancia.

Incredible. Zvyagintsev’s authorship of his characters’ plight structured within Krichman’s balanced and gorgeous framework leads the viewer through a complex and poignant story of ritual, betrayal and loss, baked against the skeletons of a sea community’s history

A force of nature

Honestly, the extra half star is for the visuals

Extremely disappointing, boring and a lack of connection with the characters. I couldn’t finish it, knowing there was no point as more terrible things would happen and in the end I really wouldn’t give a shit.

I found Loveless to be excellent, so my disappointment comes at my own surprise. I found myself battling to get into Leviathan  and really couldn’t grasp any interest.

There are bleak films which are absolutely fascinating and a horrific wonder to watch. However, Leviathan conveys nothing or is so empty that it isn’t able to get its’ point across because, in the end, no one cares.

Hopefully one day I’ll get the courage to finish this and see if I missed out on anything. But, for today, it’s a no.

Rather long but completely involving and vivid portrait of a family struggling to survive against the elements and harshness of the immediate environment, made worse by the activities a of a corrupt local mayor and his aspirations. There is much soul searching with devastating references to the State and the orthodox church and we see the fragility of relationships under this outside pressure exasperated by the imbibing of incredible amounts of vodka. Not just generous portions but bottle tipped on its end pouring or even straight from the bottle whilst wandering about. A fabulous look is achieved with the help of wonderful cinematography even if everywhere looks pretty bleak. Can be a little confusing where the director leaves out key scenes so as to gradually introduce the effects later but in the meantime there is a temptation to wonder if you missed something. Rather sad insight into the countryside living in Russia and brilliant portrayal of family life under strain.

This was so russian I could smell the vodka through the screen.

Politics, religion and despair overlap in this powerful new film by the excellent Russian director of The Return.