Leviathan (2014)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Leviathan (2014) – A. Zvyagintsev

The gripping and gritty and despairingly realistic tale of Kolya, a poor mechanic in a small coastal town in northern Russia, who is being screwed over by the local mayor. The mayor has pushed through an order to have Kolya’s property acquired by the town for the purpose of building a “communications center” -- but the price to be paid is unfair.  Kolya brings in an old army friend, now a lawyer with connections to a higher-up communist party official, and they decide to squeeze the mayor with dirt they’ve turned up on him (i.e., evidence of corruption). However, in Russia as everywhere else, fighting the power seems destined to fail – things spiral out of control rapidly.  Part of this is due to the copious amounts of vodka everyone seems to be drinking, all the time.  As further misfortune sets in on Kolya, the film raises a number of plausible explanations (or villains) responsible for his plight – but the real culprit sheds light on current affairs in Russia and who really holds the most power.  Incredibly suspenseful with the threat of violence hanging in the air in virtually every scene.