Hard to Be a God
An otherworldly scientist becomes trapped between an alien civilization’s medieval brutality and the impossible ethics of saving it.
Overview
A thought-provoking journey into the heart of a civilization caught in its own medieval struggles.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- grotesque
- surreal
- focused arthouse viewing
- late night cinephile viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Aleksei German’s final film as a monumental, visually astonishing, grotesque science-fiction masterpiece, despite some reservations about its handling of the source novel.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Arkanar is an alien civilization trapped in a medieval phase, turning its social brutality into an allegory for recurring human history.
The camera moves through mud, smoke, bodies, animals, and cluttered interiors in an almost continuously saturated medieval environment.
Rumata and the other scientists must observe Arkanar without violent interference or killing, even as intellectuals are persecuted.
Executions, abuse, filth, bodily obstruction, and constant brutality dominate the inhabitants' lived environment.
Films like Hard to Be a God, and why
Stalker
shared medievalized dystopian setting, grotesque visual world-building, and morally charged science fiction
Chimes at Midnight
shared baroque historical spectacle, brutal humanism, and formally audacious imagery
The Holy Mountain
shared oppressive dystopia, allegorical political violence, and disorienting atmosphere
Solaris
shared extreme world-building, philosophical science fiction, and alienated observers confronting human brutality
Movie Details
- Director
- Aleksei German
- Release Date
- 2014-02-27
- Runtime
- 177 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (178)
Cast
- Leonid Yarmolnik
- Yuriy Tsurilo
- Natalya Moteva
- Aleksandr Chutko
- Evgeniy Gerchakov
- Pyotr Merkuryev
- Juris Lauciņš
- Vytautas Paukste
- Konstantin Vorobyov
- Aleksandr Cherednik
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Hard to Be a God about?
- An otherworldly scientist becomes trapped between an alien civilization’s medieval brutality and the impossible ethics of saving it.
- What is Hard to Be a God like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hard to Be a God as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Hard to Be a God violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Hard to Be a God as graphic.
- What did critics think of Hard to Be a God?
- Critics broadly regard Aleksei German’s final film as a monumental, visually astonishing, grotesque science-fiction masterpiece, despite some reservations about its handling of the source novel.
- Which films are like Hard to Be a God?
- Films with a similar feel include Stalker, Chimes at Midnight, The Holy Mountain, and Solaris.
- How long is Hard to Be a God?
- Hard to Be a God runs 177 minutes.
- Where can I watch Hard to Be a God?
- In United States, Hard to Be a God is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
