While the Oscar race for Best Foreign Film can be unpredictable, even in a competitive year with a record-breaking 83 contenders, Russia’s "Leviathan" is easily an early frontrunner. The film has been earning rave reviews ever since it bowed at the Cannes Film Festival and scooped up the prize for Best Screenplay. In fact, many thought the film deserved even more, possibly the Palme d’Or itself, and a new U.S. trailer has arrived.
Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, the film follows the battle of wills between an auto-repair shop owner and the corrupt mayor of the town in which he lives who is angling to take his land, business and more out from underneath him. And as you might guess from that description, the movie is commentary on the current Russian regime, with our review noting, "there’s a rich lyricism and poetry to the picture that promises more and more to unpack with every viewing." And as you’ll see in the trailer, we also simply call it, "absolutely fantastic."
"Leviathan" opens on December 31st. Watch below.