MovieChat Forums > Leviathan (2015) Discussion > Why are women so weak?

Why are women so weak?

posted 9 years ago by avnishanshu87
8 replies | jump to latest

And we are talking about a developed nation Russia here. Why couldn't she just leave the town and start a fresh, new life somewhere else on her own?

More importantly perhaps, why do cinemas still portray women like weak, utterly dependent and highly emotional beings? I can never imagine a man committing suicide if he was in Lilya's place. I know for a fact that movies are a reflection of the times we live in. So, does that mean the role and status of women is still the same, even in a rich and developed country like Russia?

This movie was way too disturbing and depressing for me. :(

[–] Saluton 9 years ago

Rich developed country? I think you're from another world. And yes, Lilya is a typical Russian woman.

[–] Ace_Spade 8 years ago

It's not easy to just leave town. Everybody and everything she knows is there. She might still love Kolya; Dmitri might have been just a fling to her.

She might feel guilted and shamed into staying.

Maybe she really cares for Roma.

There are dozens of reasons not to leave that don't necessarily make her weak. I believe she was deeply conflicted throughout the movie, which is very real for women and for men.

[–] avnishanshu87 8 years ago

None of your reasons are a good enough qualification for committing suicide. You would rather die than move to a new city?

[–] Ace_Spade 8 years ago

Sorry - I forgot to add that I don't think she committed suicide (which is pretty critical to my understanding of the film).

[–] avnishanshu87 8 years ago

So what do you think happened to her in the end?

[–] Ace_Spade 8 years ago

For some reason, I thought the kid did it, initially, but I didn't think he'd let his dad go to jail.

Every angle doesn't sit quite right, but I figure the rape was Kolya in the basement storeroom and Roma was the one who knocked her head in and/or pushed her off the cliff. I figure that as much as Roma doesn't want his dad to go to prison, he's really, really, really scared of the consequences of a confession.

The other theory is that the politician (whose name escapes me...) had her bumped off.

I'd also buy Kolya getting blackout drunk and doing it.

If she did kill herself, I would point her reasoning to be severe malaise, depression, and so forth. I figure she probably just felt ground down over and over again. I think she was obviously depressed long before the start of the film (I think that's why she was having an affair), and I would say that would make her commit suicide.

But my best guess right now is that Roma did it.

[–] kivaaa-1 8 years ago

+1

You perfectly described what I wanted to say.

[–] dimazoller96 8 years ago

Women are portrayed as weak for no other reason than because that's how things are in Russia still. Think of this movie as one big socio-political commentary on modern Russia.