Leviathan (2012)

It's likely you've not seen a documentary like this before. Set on a Massachusetts-based trawler off the coast of North America, this experimental art installation like film is really something to behold. What you see is what you get, there's barely any editing giving you an intensely raw (no pun intended) picture of the trials of being a deep sea fisherman. It's fascinating for it's entirety, and there is some beautiful imagery, especially when the camera is placed underwater for minutes at a time, when all you can see are bubbles and hear the rushing of water around the camera. There is something incredibly soothing about many of the lingering shots of seagulls flying alongside the trawler, surrounded by the dawning of a beautiful sunrise, and for those football fans among you these shots will no doubt have you wistfully remembering the comments of one Eric Cantona back in the mid nineties. You might have difficulty hunting it down, but Leviathan brings a whole new meaning to the phrase experimental documentary film making, and it's bizarre fusion of beauty and rawness leave it difficult to compare to anything else. It's almost a bit like turning a chainsaw on and then attempting to meditate. 8.0/10