LEVIATHAN (2014)

In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man’s arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.

A very deep, very slow movie, about the effects of corrupt business destroying a family. Overly long and so loses some of its effectiveness. There needed to be more obvious moments of dramatic tension rather than having essentially the same emotional impact all the way through. The photograph of the rundown landscape in muted greys and blues is the most powerful aspect of the film and is totally depressing and oppressive. The director has perhaps over-emphasised the landscape at the loss of more focus on the characters and the narrative. It’s a subtle satire that  is worth a watch if you have a the patience to sit through a slow 140 minutes.