It is worth noting that Andrey Zvyagintsev originally hails from Siberia, the traditional banishing ground of Russian dissidents. Perhaps then it is not surprising that dissent is in his DNA. Up to now, his films have shown an affinity for the marginalized and the compromised in Russian society.
However, his latest, Cannes award-winning film boldly critiques the two greatest power centers in modern Russia: Putin’s government and the Orthodox Church.
Rather shockingly, Russia selected Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan” as its official foreign language Oscar submission (one can imagine several film authority bureaucrats were transferred to Siberian radio for that one), but it stands a fair chance of being nominated, having just made the shortlist cut. Already a recognizable contemporary classic, “Leviathan” opened Christmas Day at Film Forum in New York.
