Leviathan (2014 film)

Leviathan
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrey Zvyagintsev
Written by
Produced byAlexander Rodnyansky
Sergey Melkumov
Starring
CinematographyMikhail Krichman
Music byAndrey Dergachev, Philip Glass
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox[2]
Release dates
  • 23 May 2014 (2014-05-23) (Cannes)
  • 5 February 2015 (2015-02-05) (Russia)
Running time
141 minutes[3]
CountryRussia
LanguageRussian
Budget220 million RUB (US$7 million[4])
Box office$3.4 million[2]

Leviathan (Russian: Левиафан, Leviafan) is a 2014 Russian crime drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, co-written by Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin, and starring Aleksei Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, and Roman Madyanov.

According to Zvyagintsev, the story of Marvin Heemeyer's 2004 rampage through a small US town using a modified bulldozer inspired him. A similar concept was adapted into a Russian setting.[5] The character development of the protagonist parallels a biblical figure Job and the story of Naboth's Vineyard.[6][7] 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".[8] Critics noted the film as being formidable,[9][10] dealing with quirks of fate, power and money.[9]

The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.[11] Zvyagintsev and Negin won the award for Best Screenplay.[12] The film was judged the best film of the year at the 2014 BFI 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.[13] and the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Feature Film in 2014.[14] It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.

  1. ^ a b c Felperin, Leslie (22 May 2016). "'Leviathan': Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Leviathan (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. ^ "LEVIATHAN (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  4. ^ Rizov, Vadim (25 December 2014). ""A Little Person Against the Government Machine": Andrey Zvyagintsev on Leviathan". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  5. ^ «Если больше нет юродивых, кто скажет о беззаконии и лжи?», Kommersant.ru, 14 May 2014
  6. ^ "What Does the Film Leviathan Tell Us about Putin's Russia and its Past? | History News Network". 16 June 2015.
  7. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (6 November 2014). "Leviathan review – a compellingly told, stunningly shot drama". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  8. ^ Hopewell, John; Keslassy, Elsa (17 February 2014). "Berlin – Pyramide Intl. Rolls Out Pre-sales on 'Leviathan,' Russian Director Andrey Zvyagintsev's Follow-Up to 'Elena'". Variety. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  9. ^ a b Bradshaw, Peter (22 May 2014). "Cannes 2014 review: Leviathan - a new Russian masterpiece". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  10. ^ Debruge, Peter (23 May 2014). "Film Review: 'Leviathan'". Variety. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  11. ^ "2014 Official Selection". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Awards 2014 : Competition". Cannes Film Festival. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  13. ^ 72ND ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE® AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED. dickclark.com. Retrieved 11 December 2014
  14. ^ "8th Annual Asia Pacific Screen Award Winners". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2019.