Safe Return Doubtful

Russia 2014 Director – Andrey Zvyagintsev

Set to the backdrop of the spectacular rugged coast of northern Russia, this is the story of an ordinary man and his battle to keep his house, which has been earmarked for demolition for a wider project. It’s a story that could be anywhere in the world, a common family taking on a corrupt authority.

The opening scenes in particular show the town’s setting off to its best, as the Baring sea crashes in against the coast. On the beach is the vast skeleton of a whale, a leviathan of the deep, a symbol of the authority that the man, Nikolay, has taken on.

He is confident, he has the services of a Moscow lawyer, Dmitriy, a friend who won’t take payment, and the support of his family, his wife, and their teenage son, Pasha. But he is up against a particularly obnoxious character in the town mayor, himself representing the corruption of the Russian state, the real leviathan.

Those playing the key roles are excellent, the music soundtrack haunting, and the photography magnificent, and there’s a smattering of dark humour that just add value to a powerful scene.

Young Pasha shines through as a hero, and has a memorable scene with the whale skeleton on the beach.

If unfamiliar with the work of director, Andrey Zvyagintsev, I can highly recommend his 2017 film, Loveless, also, (9 / 10 from me), and even more so, his 2003 film, The Return (10 / 10 from me).

Leviathan IMDB score 7.6 / 10 – My score 8 / 10