Leviathan is probably (With the exception of “A Torinoi Lo”) one of the most overwhelming sensorial experiences ever captured on film so far, at least for your writer’s eyes Phantasmagorical, claustrophobic, sinister, but overall… hypnotic.
More than a documentary it could be a horror movie. Lets remember that Leviathan was a marine monster mentioned in the old testament, a beast close to Satan. After watching this film, you might easily conclude that this evil beast doesn’t necessarily come from the abbyss, but rather lives on the surface and its easily recognaisable even on land. We are talking about humankind, that creature that turns the blue oceans and seas into blood sterile baths. Even though this film shows no environmentalist’s traits, as this was not the aim of the filmmakers, it is inevitable to see the Shakespearian tragedy that takes place merciless through the eyes of marine life
The aim of the filmmakers was simply to illustrate the fishing activity in a port in Massachusetts. They had already captured 50 hours of footage before setting sail, but once navigating, Lucien Castaing-Taylor y Véréna Paravel realized of the audio visual potency of the routine at sea, discarding all previous plans and just centering the narrative on the footage from various go pros scattered around the vessel…
The spectator becomes the victim of a fierce extermination. No creature landing on the boat’s deck makes it out alive. Heads and tails are savagely ripped off while the cameras wobble, lurch and bounce from blood to carcasses… Sea water comes in and washes out, burying any sense of mercy that might have subsisted hidden deep in the guts of the oscillating slaughterhouse. The tension keeps the viewer on his/hers toes, trapped, trying to reach out for air or that coveted glimpse of the open sky. Vertigo! Clemency-less beauty twists the candid heart, escorted by the sounds a battery of mechanical monsters gobbling life, the flying scavengers, the battering waves…
One Response
“LEVIATHAN”, it´s a very good name for the next moto-work!!