Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and written by Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin, Loveless is the story of a disillusioned couple who are forced to work together after their son had disappeared over anger due to his parents’ hostile relationship towards one another. The film is an exploration of a loveless couple whose bitterness over their marriage force them to deal with the neglect of their son as they try to find him as he had gone missing. Starring Maryana Spivak, Aleksey Rozin, Matvey Novikov, Marina Vasilyeva, and Andris Keiss. Loveless is a haunting and riveting film from Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Set in 2012 near Leningrad, the film follows a divorcing couple whose hatred for one another lead to the disappearance of their 12-year old son as they’re forced to work together to find him as it leads to more trouble between the two. It’s a film that explore two people who hate each other and want nothing to do each other only to focus on the fact that their only child has disappeared with the two confronting each other and themselves about their neglect towards him. The film’s screenplay by Andrey Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin has a unique structure that plays into a family just coming apart with a young boy stuck in the middle of this nasty divorce between two people who really don’t give a fuck about the boy’s feelings over this divorce nor what they want to do with him once the divorce is final.
The first act is about this extremely dysfunctional family where Zhenya (Maryna Spivak) is selling the apartment she shares with her future ex-husband Boris (Aleksey Rozin) and their 12-year old son Alyosha (Matvey Novikov) as she and Boris fights while they both lead different lives with their respective lovers in the middle-aged Anton (Andris Keiss) and Masha (Marina Vasilyeva) as the latter is pregnant with Boris’ child. The second act is about the realization that Alyosha hasn’t returned home as Zhenya reports his disappearance to the police where a detective (Sergey Borisov) and a search and rescue team leader named Ivan (Alexey Fateev) both lead the investigation. Yet, the search for Alyosha would also lead to more tension and revelations about Zhenya and Boris and why they got married in the first place that just adds to the drama and growing sense of loss for the two.
Zvyagintsev’s direction doesn’t go for anything stylistic other than in maintaining some simplistic compositions as well as images that do play into this air of mystique and ambiguity over the situation that is happening throughout the film. Shot on location in areas near Moscow, Zvyagintsev does use wide shots to not get a scope of the world that is Russia but also use close-ups to get so much attention to detail as it relates to a few things that might play into the mystery and suspense into what happened to Alyosha. The usage of close-ups and medium shots also add to the dramatic tension whenever Boris and Zhenya are in a room together while theirs is that one shot where they’re in the background on a wide shot and in another room in a medium shot is Alyosha crying as it displays exactly what he’s going through. It is a moment that play into this air of neglect where Zvyagintsev shows Alyosha’s parents being more concerned with their own lives than Alyosha as examples include Zhenya with Anton or often looking at her phone in some parts of the film. Boris would either be at work or with Masha not really thinking about Alyosha either though and Zhenya would talk about him to their lovers as if he was mistake and are uncertain about what to do with him.
Zvyagintsev also create these mesmerizing images in the compositions where he would put the actors into a certain spot for the shot but it also in displaying this air of realism such as the scene of Boris and Zhenya meeting the detective who name numerous possibilities about the kid while observing the both of them as he reveals to be a tough yet fair individual who is willing to get to the bottom of Alyosha’s disappearance. One scene that is chilling and disturbing is when Boris, Zhenya, and a police officer go to the home of Zhenya’s mother (Natalya Potapova) as she represents this old idea of what Russia was as she blames her daughter and Boris for Alyosha’s disappearance where Zvyagintsev definitely display some political and social metaphors as it relates to what had happened as well as this disconnect from morality in modern-day Russia. Overall, Zvyagintsev crafts a gripping and eerie film about a divorcing couple dealing with the disappearance of their 12-year old son.
Cinematographer Mikhail Krichman does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its stark and desolate look with its usage of white, grey, and other colorless imagery for many of the exterior scenes while using some low-key lighting and such for the scenes set at night. Editor Anna Mass does terrific work with the editing as it is largely straightforward that allow shots to linger for more than a minute with a few rhythmic cuts for dramatic purposes. Production designer Andrey Ponkratov does fantastic work with the interior of the family apartment including Alyosha’s room as well as the apartments that Anton and Masha live in. Sound designer Andrey Dergachev does superb work with the sound as it help play into the intense atmosphere of some of the locations including the sparse sounds of nature and sirens heard from afar. The film’s music by Evgueni and Sacha Galperine is wonderful for its low-key piano-based ambient score that appear briefly in parts of the film while the soundtrack include a classical piece from Avro Part and a music appearance from Bring on the Horizon on Boris’ car radio.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Vavara Shmykova as a police officer who help Boris and Zhenya break into the home of Zhenya’s mother and Natalya Potapova as Zhenya’s mother who is this cold and cruel woman who wants nothing to do with her daughter or her grandson believing they are a burden to her. Sergey Borisov and Alexey Fateev are superb in their respective roles as the detective and the search/rescue leader Ivan as two men who are both good at their jobs while also going through numerous possibilities about Alyosha as well as do whatever they can to find the boy. Marina Vasilyeva and Andris Keiss are fantastic in their respective roles as Boris’ pregnant lover Masha and Zhenya’s middle-aged lover Anton as two people who are concerned with what is happening as Masha believes she is being neglected while Anton becomes concerned about Zhenya though has no real issues with Boris. Matvei Novikov is excellent as Alyosha as the 12-year old son of Boris and Zhenya who is dealing with his parents’ divorce as well as them fighting and saying things about him that would eventually lead to a breakdown and the idea that he ran away.
Aleksey Rozin is brilliant as Boris as a businessman that is concerned with keeping his job while dealing with the chaos of his marriage and the new life he wants to have with Masha as he also copes with Alyosha’s disappearance as well as being unsure about what to do with him once the divorced is finalized. Finally there’s Maryana Spivak in an amazing performance as Zhenya as a mother who is trying to get started on her new life while filled with a lot of bitterness about her marriage to Boris as she deals with what happened to Alyosha as she is in denial that she is at fault for what happened to him.
Loveless is a tremendous film from Andrey Zvyagintsev. Featuring a great cast, its themes of neglect and family, and stark visuals, it’s a film that explore a divorcing couple who try to find their son as well as deal with themselves as it also serves as a metaphor for the declining sense of morality in modern-day Russia. In the end, Loveless is a spectacular film from Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Andrey Zvyagintsev Films: (The Return) – (The Banishment) – (Elena (2011 film) – Leviathan (2014 film)
© thevoid99 2019
(Winner of the Best Screenplay Prize to Andrey Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival)
Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and written by Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin, Leviathan is the story about a series of tragic events that relates to a family living in a Russian coastal town as it relates to their mayor. The film is a modern-tale take on the Book of Job where a man struggles to fight for his home only to deal with harsh realities in his surroundings. Starring Aleksei Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, and Roman Madyanov. Leviathan is a mesmerizing and unflinching film from Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Set in a fictional coastal town in Russia, the film revolves around a man who is fighting to save his home as he deals with a corrupt mayor who wants to tear it down for his own reasons. With the aid of an attorney, it seems like Kolya (Aleksei Serbryakov) would get the chance to save his home but a series of unfortunate and tragic events wouldn’t just have him deal with loss but also raise questions about the ways of the world. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore a man trying to save his home but also what he would lose by means that are unexplainable as well as realities as it relates to how corrupt power can be in the hands of a greedy mayor. The film’s screenplay by Andrey Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin doesn’t just explore the plight of Kolya as this everyman but also a world that is complicated where a politician tries to instill his own power by any means.
The film also explores a growing disconnect into the world of faith and reality as it relates to what Kolya would endure as he would meet those who are part of the Orthodox Church as he would encounter a local priest who tells him about the story of Job. Kolya, drunk and disillusioned, listens but raises a lot about man’s plight and everything he endures as it is this key scene during its third act where Kolya knows what he is losing. It is a moment that says a lot about the church and how they’re connected to Russia’s government, under the rule of Vladimir Putin, which is known for being very corrupt. Though the story that Zvyagintsev and Negin is telling isn’t about politics but how power can destroy things. Yet, Kolya’s own fall is really driven by other things in his own home that he lives with his second wife Lilya (Elena Lyadova) and teenage son Roma (Sergey Pokhodaev) where it is done by things that are unstoppable as it include those who are there to help him but are undone by actions that can’t be explained.
Zvyagintsev’s direction is actually quite simple due to the presentation he creates as he does shoot the film in various locations near Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula in towns such as Kirovsk, Monchegorsk, Olenegorsk, and exterior locations in Teriberka on the sea coast of Barents. The direction has this very entrancing look in the way it captures the vastness of this small coastal town that seems like a close-knit community that is sort of on the fringes from the more well-known cities of Russia such as Moscow. The usage of the wide and medium shots capture the mountains and cliffs in the locations as it would also serve as a key plot-point where Kolya’s life would start to crash during a picnic with family and friends. The approach to drama is quite restrained where it plays into a lot of what is at stake as well as Kolya trying to keep his family together. Even as there’s scenes where many of the characters drink though Zvyagintsev isn’t trying to show these people as drunks but rather real people though there is a scene where Kolya is confronted by the mayor Vadim (Roman Madyanov) where both men are drunk as it is few instances of humor that isn’t shown very often in the film.
Zvyaginetsev also creates elements of ambiguity as it relates to not just what Kolya faces but also as it relates to the people in his life including Lilya and his friend Dima (Vladimir Vdovichenkov) as the latter is an attorney who can do wonders. As good as a friend as Dima is, he would unfortunately play a part into Kolya’s downfall where he would also see the full force of the Vadim’s corrupt rule. The direction becomes more eerie despite its simplicity in its compositions yet it would end with a major reveal of what Vadim wanted to do. Adding to that is a moment where it plays into not just the concept of truth but also the growing disconnect as it relates to church and state being one and the everyday people feeling like they don’t really matter. Overall, Zvyaginetsev creates a provocative yet mesmerizing film about a simple man trying to save his home and deal with loss in a corrupt world.
Cinematographer Mikhail Krichman does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography where it doesn‘t feature a lot of colors in its visual scale to play into the cold environment of the locations but it does have an air of beauty into many of the daytime exteriors in how natural it looks along with some unique lighting for scenes set at night. Editor Anna Mass does terrific work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with bits of style to play into the drama as well as its sense of restraint. Production designer Andrey Ponkratov and set decorator Nikolai Ryabtsev do brilliant work with the look of Kolya‘s home as it feels like something that is homemade but also with a sense of tradition which is in sharp contrast to Vadim‘s office that features a portrait of Vladimir Putin.
Costume designer Anna Bartuli does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely casual for many of the characters with the exception of Dima and Vadim as they wore these expensive suits. Visual effects supervisor Dmitry Tokoyakov does nice work with some of the minimal visual effects as it is merely bits of set dressing including the film‘s ending. The sound work of Andrey Gergachev is superb for the way it captures many of the things that occur on location as well as the sounds of vodka bottles being guzzled up and things that play into the drama. The film’s music by Andrey Dergachev and Philip Glass is wonderful as it is only played in the final credits as it is just an orchestral piece that mixes elements of traditional Russian music that says a lot in what had happened in the film.
The casting by Elina Ternyaeva is great as it features some notable small roles from Sergei Bachursky as a friend of Kolya in Ivan, Aleksey Rozin as Kolya’s policeman friend Pasha who tries to help Kolya out without getting into trouble, and Anna Ukolova as longtime family friend Angela who tries to deal with the chaos in Kolya’s life as well as ponder what is really going on in the film’s third act. Sergey Pokhodaev is superb as Kolya’s teenage son Roma as a young kid who doesn’t like his stepmother very much as he would see something that would change everything as he has a hard time coping with his father’s downfall. Roman Madyanov is excellent as the town’s mayor Vadim as this fat and greedy politician who wants to destroy Kolya’s home for something he wants to build as he is this true representation of all of the ills that plague the Russian government.
Vladimir Vdovichenkov is brilliant as Kolya’s friend/lawyer Dima who knowledge of the law would prove to be helpful to Kolya but it would be another act that wouldn’t just play into his own undoing but also Kolya’s. Elena Lyadova is amazing as Kolya’s wife Lilya as a woman who tries to do everything she can to help her husband but would also play a part into her family’s downturn as she tries to cope with her actions. Finally, there’s Aleksei Serebryakov in an incredible performance as Kolya as this simple man who is trying to save his home from being destroyed as he would endure suffering of the worst kind as he copes with not just loss but also the realities that he faces in a cruel world.
Leviathan is a phenomenal film from Andrey Zvyagintsev. Featuring a great cast, intoxicating images, and a compelling discussion about the ways of the world set in a modern take on the book of Job. It’s a film that is about not just some of the cruelties of the world but also a look into modern Russia under the leadership of Vladimir Putin. In the end, Leviathan is a tremendous film from Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Andrey Zvyagintsev Films: (The Return) - (The Banishment) - (Elena (2011 film)) - Loveless (2017 film)
© thevoid99 2016
