Leviathan
Thurs 7 July
Dir Andrey Zvyagintsev (2015)
Leviathan (Russian: Левиафан, Leviafan) is a 2014 Russian drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, co-written by Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin, and starring Aleksei Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, and Vladimir Vdovichenkov. According to Zvyagintsev, the story of Marvin Heemeyer in the United Statesinspired him and it was adapted into a Russian setting, but critics compare the story to the more similar biblical story of Naboth’s Vineyard, where a King vies for his subjects’ land and is motivated by his Queen to obtain it in a sly manner. The character development of the protagonist parallels another biblical figure, Job. The producer Alexander Rodnyansky has said: “It deals with some of the most important social issues of contemporary Russia while never becoming an artist’s sermon or a public statement; it is a story of love and tragedy experienced by ordinary people”. Critics noted the film as being formidable, dealing with quirks of fate, power and money.
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Zvyagintsev and Negin won the award for Best Screenplay. The film was adjudged as the best film of the year at the 2014 London Film Festival and the 45th International Film Festival of India. It won the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.