(slight spoiler)
Rarely is a movie so heavy and desperate after watching it. The director ruthlessly kills hope one by one in front of you, leaving what seems to be endless darkness.
The film is very realistic in terms of the story alone. It tells the story of the so-called "nail households" of the male protagonist's family's struggle with the government, which led to family emotional disputes. Among them, the corruption of the government, from officials to physiques, collusion and protection, huge profits and power, and the diligent and law-abiding ordinary people's powerless struggle under coercion and oppression, it seems cruel but very real. From the empty and lengthy sentencing documents, to the closed-door evasion of appeals and reports, to the violent coercion and revenge, these are almost the portrayal of the facts that happened around them. I can only sigh that this kind of subject matter will never pass the trial in our country.
Of course, the film tells a tragic story of such a small person who failed to fight against the system, and uses this to counteract the disadvantages of the times. Although it is not satisfactory, it is somewhat lackluster. What is more intriguing about the film is the metaphor in its existence, characters and plot. For the same theme type, "A Farewell" has been conferred to the gods, but this film still seems to be short of breath, at least not as clear and profound as "Parting" in terms of the integrity and unity of metaphors.
The so-called metaphor starts from the title of the film. Leviathan itself is a sea monster in religion, huge and ferocious, and difficult to conquer, and this is the symbol of the entire state system that is too large and deeply decayed. The movie starts from the male protagonist to find a way to fight, tame and save this "sea monster". The male protagonist has all the traditional characteristics of the typical Russian nation. He is diligent and honest, but he is also impulsive and reckless. His predicament is caused by the corrupt and powerful government, and this coincides with the current situation in Russia, so the male protagonist's various pursuits after It is an attempt to reform the corrupt system.
First of all, at the beginning of the movie, the male protagonist found his lawyer comrade-in-arms. Obviously, lawyers symbolize the democratic legal system of the modern West, young and handsome, fickle, have no faith, advocate the truth, seem attractive on the surface, and even once effective, making the mayor who represents the corrupt bureaucracy very difficult, It also makes the male protagonist's family seem to see the dawn of salvation. But the problem followed. The appearance and lack of faith brought desire and sin. Ironically, the lawyer's so-called fair justice is actually a threat of extortion without actual evidence, so the same hypocritical "Western legal system" still remains. Unable to resist the entrenched bureaucracy, it ended in failure to escape.
The next heroine, I personally think is the one step behind the film, because her setting makes the theme of the film less clear. Throughout the whole film, the tragedy of the male protagonist's family is largely caused by her lack of self-control. Therefore, the first main line of the story adds elements such as family ethics, female repression and liberation to the contradiction between individuals and the system; and further, the national symbol level of the film, her status also becomes blurred. She can be unified with the male protagonist, and as a metaphor of the country, she is attracted and lost by the by-products of the "modern system"; but I prefer her to be the second object of exploration of the male protagonist - a compromise between the old and the new. From the beginning of the film, she is conservative and obedient, hoping to accept compensation and move away as palliative, but later mixed between the male protagonist and the lawyer, she is faced with the contradiction between body and spirit, desire and responsibility, sensibility and reason It also symbolizes the contradiction between innovation and tradition. As a carrier of contradictions, she has always been trying to compromise and reconcile, and has been unable to make a decisive choice. This so-called eclecticism seems to be peaceful on the surface, but it is indeed a time bomb. After the final explosion, we have all seen the end. The failure of this quest may have touched us more than it has, for reasons that are self-evident.
And the third exploration of the male protagonist is the question and answer with the priest later. Near the end of the film, Leviathan is also called out. After the despair of tradition, bureaucracy, legality, and compromise, the answer seems to be left to faith and religion. But religion is also unreliable. The bishop's tai chi against officials and the lawyer's repentance are not equal to atonement, and the priest, at the male lead's request for help, puts the burden on the male lead. In the end, the bishop is injustice to the "truth" and "truth" All the propaganda are satirizing the hypocrisy of religious beliefs.
The last hope may only be the son who symbolizes the next generation. However, after receiving so many heavy losses, without any support, and relying on others, his future, the future of the country, is confusing and unimaginable. Perhaps just like the sea monster at the end of the film, it has been rotten to the bone, it seems to be terminally ill, and the search is exhausted, and there is only despair.
View more about Leviathan reviews
