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.

Director:

Andrey Zvyagintsev

Writers:

Oleg Negin, Andrey Zvyagintsev

Stars:

Aleksey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Roman Madyanov

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 25 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aleksey Serebryakov	...	Nikolay
Elena Lyadova	...	Lilya
Vladimir Vdovichenkov	...	Dmitriy
Roman Madyanov	...	Mer
Anna Ukolova	...	Anzhela
Aleksey Rozin	...	Pasha
Sergey Pokhodaev	...	Romka
Platon Kamenev	...	Vitya
Sergey Bachurskiy	...	Stepanych
Valeriy Grishko	...	Arkhierey
Alla Emintseva	...	Sudya
Margarita Shubina	...	Prokuror
Dmitriy Bykovskiy-Romashov	...	Nachalnik politsii (as Dmitriy Bykovskiy)
Sergey Borisov	...	Operativnik
Igor Savochkin	...	Sledovatel

Storyline

On the outskirts of a small coastal town in the Barents Sea, where whales sometimes come to its bay, lives an ordinary family: Kolya (Aleksey Serebryakov), his wife Lilya (Elena Lyadova) and their teenage son Romka. The family is haunted by a local corrupted mayor (Roman Madyanov), who is trying to take away the land, a house and a small auto repair shop from Kolya. To save their homes Kolya calls his old Army friend in Moscow (Vladimir Vdovichenkov), who has now become an authoritative attorney. Together they decide to fight back and collect dirt on the mayor.

---

Plot Keywords:

mayor | sea | attorney | lawyer | corrupt politician | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality/graphic nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official Website

Country:

Russia

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

12 March 2015 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Leviathan

Filming Locations:

Kirovsk, Murmansk Oblast, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Non-Stop Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The whale skeleton featured in the film was built out of metal. According to the director, after filming was complete the skeleton was "bought by a businessman and placed on the lawn outside of his house".

---

Quotes

Store clerk: What do you want, Kolya?
Kolya: Vodka, what else?

---

Connections

Featured in 72nd Golden Globe Awards (2015)

---

Soundtracks

Akhnaten -Act 1 - Prelude: Refrain, Verse 1, Verse 2
Written by Philip Glass

User Reviews

Zvyagintsev

cold, cruel, minimalistic. the force of image and the silence. the atmosphere from The Return, the characters from Elena. and the fight against almighty corrupt system. the lost of each pillar of existence and the desire to demonstrate your truth. inspired cast and strange landscapes. and, sure, a lot of controversies. in fact, the film is only tool for remind the heart of reality. a manifesto without enthusiasm. a verdict. it is beautiful and deep bitter. because it reflects the forms of falling world. the solitude as last solution. the pressure of system. the fight for survive. a film who reminds basic things. and a great director as inspired guide in the heart of reality. one of Rusian movies who could remind many masterpieces. but it is not Tarkovsky, it is not Abuladze, it remains a Zvyagintsev. his confession. about a reality and about new Job.