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Overview: The level of corruption in extremely high in Russia. A government official, who is Tsar and God in one figure, has more power in place than it's stated in a job description. Unjust confiscation of land and property is something that can be expected. In this scene, the mayor of the city comes to Kolya's house just to remind him to start packing since he is seizing the property, even though the court hasn't decided on the case yet. They get into a verbal fight that serves as a snapshot of the systemic violence in Russia.
Review: When Kolya hears the car approaching, he comes out of the house and asks the visitors in a friendly voice if they need any help. The mayor, assisted with the gloomy bold bodyguard, walks towards the house confidently. Once Kolya realizes that its his enemy who is kicking him out of his own house, his facial expression changes and he becomes more alert and irritated by the presence of the unwanted guest (0:20). The mayor declares that all this land belongs to him. He is very tactless calling people on whose property he is standing "insects" and using obscene language. Two figures at the entrance of the house, Kolya's wife and his son, are standing like silent observers having no power to intervene and break up the fight (0:20-0:22). Being a protagonist, Kolya and his family stand in the bright light (supposedly from the headlights), while the dark forces, the mayor and his bodyguard, stand against the darker background.
This mini dialog represent the bigger picture of systemic violence and corruption in Russia. Common people are helpless and unprotected by their own government against the government officials who abuse their power. As we learn from the readings on the structural violence, certain people, strata and even whole countries can fall victims of the bigger institutional force. Although, the scene from Leviathan doesn't show us a physical struggle, we can understand that the system violates Kolya's fundamental right to hold on to his property. As in many cases involving structural violence, he is most certainly to loose the battle against the big monster - the corrupted institution.
Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwbzw-rg2ho
Review: When Kolya hears the car approaching, he comes out of the house and asks the visitors in a friendly voice if they need any help. The mayor, assisted with the gloomy bold bodyguard, walks towards the house confidently. Once Kolya realizes that its his enemy who is kicking him out of his own house, his facial expression changes and he becomes more alert and irritated by the presence of the unwanted guest (0:20). The mayor declares that all this land belongs to him. He is very tactless calling people on whose property he is standing "insects" and using obscene language. Two figures at the entrance of the house, Kolya's wife and his son, are standing like silent observers having no power to intervene and break up the fight (0:20-0:22). Being a protagonist, Kolya and his family stand in the bright light (supposedly from the headlights), while the dark forces, the mayor and his bodyguard, stand against the darker background.
This mini dialog represent the bigger picture of systemic violence and corruption in Russia. Common people are helpless and unprotected by their own government against the government officials who abuse their power. As we learn from the readings on the structural violence, certain people, strata and even whole countries can fall victims of the bigger institutional force. Although, the scene from Leviathan doesn't show us a physical struggle, we can understand that the system violates Kolya's fundamental right to hold on to his property. As in many cases involving structural violence, he is most certainly to loose the battle against the big monster - the corrupted institution.
Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwbzw-rg2ho