Hard To Be A God (2013)

AKA: Trudno Byt Bogom
Directed by: Aleksey German
Starring: Leonid Yarmolnik (Don Rumata)
Country: Russia; Effed Up European Cinema
Language: Russian (Eng Subs); Effed Up Russian/Soviet Films
Runtime: 02:57:10
Genres: Bizarre, Gruesome, Sci-Fi, Scat, Torture, Dead Animals

Plot – Spoilers:
There’s a planet somewhere called Arkanar that’s around 800 years behind earth, and the culture there resembles Medieval Europe without any prospect of enlightenment. Scientists from Earth were sent to Arkanar to study the emergence of the planet’s history, but with the explicit rule that they must not intervene in a way that would change any organic progress. Arkanar is a filthy world with people who hate intellectuals and any such mutants are promptly persecuted. At every given opportunity, the folk there apply shit on themselves almost as if to mark themselves as being far removed from the intellectual. Plucking out of eyeballs is also a common occurence.

One of the Earth scientists, Rumata, has been on Arkanar far too long. 20 years now. Rumata loathes the people there, but also exercises restraint to not physically rip them apart – which his expressions often suggest are his actual inner thoughts. He has a thing for music and most of his ramblings are tolerated by the indigenous powers who believe he’s the son of a local God.

Though Hard to Be a God is perhaps an extreme portrayal of the filth of a culture wallowing in its medievalness, it might also pour some cold water on any fantasies you might have of traveling back in time to Medieval Europe, unless filth is a pet kink. Rumata enjoys no privacy to savor solitude. Everyone is either bumping into him or touching him physically or with their idiocy.

Somewhere in this, there’s a plot about Rumata trying to find and save a scientist who’s been taken away by a local leader, his lover getting killed and the vengeance that follows. The imagery and design is stunning at times and grotesquely attractive, often aided by the use of the corpses of dead animals. But for the most part, Hard to Be a God is a jumble of thoughts and situations. A lot of the dialogue barely makes any continuous sense. This is purely for fans of bizarre atmospheric cinema who are intrigued by mood rather than coherence. And even for them, at almost 3 hours, it can be a sort of endurance test to watch in one sitting.