Leviathan

A movie so dark it could easily have been filmed in black & white. It was set in a northern Russian fishing village, with most of the camera work being done either late evening or early morning. For a change of pace, director Andrey Zvyagintsev blessed his audience with rain, mist and fog during the day. The naked coastline and weathered or dilapidated homes of the once prosperous village dominate the scenery, and the most frequent sound heard is the crash of waves being interrupted on their journey by the rocky shoreline. Using a dispute between a fisherman and the town mayor, Zvyagintsev challenges the viewer with a question of major political importance in Russia, then gives us options but not answers. "What is the real truth... Man's Truth or God's Truth?" With two prevalent concepts, The Russian Orthodox Church & Communism, it would seem to be a frequent question. However the leviathan (monster) may not be either of these. I got a sense that the director was promoting Capitalism as the true evil. A beautifully filmed and thought provoking essay.