Leviathan Review

If David Lynch directed The Perfect Storm shot by Anthony Dod Mantle, you’d get Leviathan. Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor’s extraordinary documentary follows a fishing vessel off the New England coast, but this is about experience not education, creating a sea symphony of abstract, at times astonishing images, by turns horrific (fish heads skitting across the floor, skate hacked in half) and jaw-dropping (flocking seagulls shot from below). It’s a demanding watch and oppressive listen (the sound design ranks amongst the best of the year), but you’ll learn more about the rigour of trawling than in a thousand Deadliest Catch episodes.