Martin Bradley
"Leviathan" isn't an easy watch. In some quarters it's been hailed as one of the greatest documentaries ever made; in others, as pretentious twaddle, (and not, presumably, for its content but for its style). It's about fishing, of the kind that takes places on trawlers in mostly stormy seas. There is no commentary and very little spoken dialogue and it's shot in such an obtuse fashion it's often hard to decipher what we are supposed to be looking at, (if ever a movie had a heart of darkness, this is it). It's also almost guaranteed to put you off fish for life, (and perhaps watching documentaries). Maybe the best place to see this is in a gallery where you can drop in and out at will since it's more of a video installation that a proper film. There's no denying a great deal of skill went into it but watching it I couldn't help but wonder if that skill might not have been used to better effect somewhere else.
jbeck-williams
For those who appreciate bluntness, here is my synopsis; a brilliantly edited film collage of commercial fishermen at sea, with no soundtrack, no narration, no text, and no interviews. Know that this is not for everyone.Now, this is a DOCUMENTARY film, and I was shocked by how many of the other reviewers did not realize this. If you are looking for a cut-and- dry plot and characters, Docs probably aren't for you.And finally, if you like the type of "documentaries" that air on the History Channel, and Animal Planet, TLC, etc., than this movie is not for you. It is thought provoking in the most literal of senses- this movie provokes the viewer to actually think about what is happening and what it all means. These things are not given to you- there is no voice over to give you context, there are no text slides to give you relevant information. It is raw, visceral experiences, captured in HD and edited together in a way which is, at the very least, innovative... and at the very best, perhaps genius.If you like "experimental" movies, like "Sweetgrass" or "Valhalla Rising," this movie will likely be enjoyable for you.For everyone else, you'll probably feel like you just spent 2 hours watching home movies from a deaf fisherman on a boat.
Trist Squire
Absolutely horrendous. I can't believe I just spent an hour and a half of my life watching a group of fishermen twiddle their thumbs, waiting for something to happen. I hate this 'documentary' and everyone who made, produced, starred in and thought up the idea for this abortion of media. I wish I'd read a review, or indeed anything about this before I'd sat through it so I could spare myself the agony. Please, whatever you do, seriously reconsider watching this if you have intentions to do so. I've seen some godawful films in my time, but never anything to tedious, mind-numbing and painful. 1/10 would not recommend to my worst enemy.
joelgadd4
I've never felt compelled to counteract negative reviews on this site before, but in the case of Leviathan I couldn't help myself. If I had come to this film expecting a traditional documentary on the commercial fishing industry, I may have been contributing my very own one-star critique right now. Then again, if I'd thought this was going to be a traditional documentary on the commercial fishing industry, I probably wouldn't have watched it in the first place.Leviathan is definitely experimental (though experiential may be a better descriptor for it.) It offers no narration, no facts or figures, no conclusion or agenda. The only dialogue we hear is, for the most part, distorted to the point of abstraction. What Leviathan does offer is an immersive, hypnotic experience. The sounds and images are alternately nightmarish, surreal and eerily beautiful. Even the rudimentary glimpses into the lives of the fishermen on board are rendered at an odd reserve, remaining as enigmatic as the seabirds we see throughout the film, crashing into the black waves. Experiencing this movie is like being transformed into an alien observer; the ordinary becomes extraordinary.Of course, everyone's entitled to an opinion, and I can completely understand why a person might hate this movie. It truly is a Rorschach blot of a film, allowing the audience to engage with it from almost any angle imaginable. I think that's where Leviathan's beauty lies. Anyone interested in what movies can show us should at least give this one a shot.
AD
