MOSCOW: Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev's sombre social drama "Leviathan" may have been nominated for an Oscar, but at home the film has sparked heated debate, with the arts minister claiming it blackens Russia's image.
The film will not even be released in Russia until next month, but that hasn't proved an impediment to criticism, reminding observers of the Soviet joke about the hate campaign against Boris Pasternak's novel "Doctor Zhivago": "I haven't read it but I condemn it."
"Those who have seen the film and those who haven't seen it are heatedly arguing about it today," wrote Gazeta.ru news website.
"Probably because those who are arguing don't really have opposing views on cinema -- they have opposing views on the country."
The film, which scooped a Golden Globe on Sunday and best screenplay award at Cannes, is a bleak portrayal of one man's struggle against the stifling omnipotence of the Russian state.
It depicts a car mechanic in a small northern city who struggles against a corrupt mayor's plans to take away his property.
Culture minister Vladimir Medinsky, a divisive and outspoken figure, gave an interview on the day of the Oscar nominations to Izvestia daily in which he personally attacked the director and his vision.
The movie has a mood of "existential hopelessness" and "there is not a single positive hero," he said.
At the same time the characters, however much vodka they knock back on screen, are not "real Russians," he claimed.
The minister accused the director of cynically exploiting anti-Russian tropes to win festival plaudits.
"What does he love? Golden statuettes and red carpets, that's pretty clear," Medinsky said sneeringly, adding the film "in its rush for international success, is opportunistic beyond belief."
The minister denigrated the film despite the fact that it was partly funded by the state.
Due to legislation brought in by Medinsky, "Leviathan" -- which was already released in France and Britain late last year -- can only be shown in Russia with swear words beeped out, even to adult audiences. It will be released on February 5.
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