This film was released on Friday 7th August 2015 and is no longer screening. 

Hard to be a God is an adaptation of the science-fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, whose work has formed the basis of, amongst others, Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979) and Sokurov’s Days of Eclipse (1988). Human scientists have travelled to the planet Arkanar, which seems stuck in the equivalent of Earth’s Middle Ages, never having experienced a Renaissance. The scientists have assumed positions as noblemen, believed by the natives to be gods, and have vowed not to interfere with the planet’s natural development, even as a battle is being waged against education by a powerful order of monks.

This is a film of astonishing texture; every frame is packed with detail to draw the eye, and the mud of the squalid planet is almost tangible. It’s a remarkable viewing experience, and one that demands to be seen on the big screen. (Notes by Kevin Coyne.)

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