Hard to Be a God (2013)

An insane visual depression from Russian director Aleksei German.

"What!" is probably all a review needs to shout, but I'm going to risk being unnecessary.

Russian director Aleksey German's 'Hard to Be a God' is surreal sci-fi.

Imagine if our world were that portrayed in the film 'Idiocracy', not because it was our future but because it had always been. Imagine there had never been a Medieval Renaissance because all the intellectuals were killed, leaving behind only imbeciles struggling in mud and shit.

'Hard to Be a God' is bleak, challenging viewing. There were long periods where I gave up on trying to understand the purpose of the dialogue. My patience paid out as the depressive scenes became visually hypnotic. I could pretend philosophical dividend but that would be out of sync with the clutter of madness.

Could the moral be that, without art, life would be infinitely more barbaric? Maybe all that matters is that I spent three hours in a horrible grey place so that I'd better appreciate the world I live in.

'Hard to be God' is genius insanity.