The only movie in the more than ten years of watching that made me press pause several times, skeptically confirming that its moviedom height is high and resumed.
The quest for this film came from director Xie Fei's admiration for the former Soviet director Alexei Germain (1936-2013). In 35 years of directorial career, Germanic only completed 4 works, 3 were banned, and one of them was placed in the cellar of the Soviet Union for 15 years. "My Friend Ivan", an adaptation of his father's novel, was destined to be banned for two years, and then this film was selected by the Soviet jury as one of the 10 best Soviet films of all time, completely changing his status in the domestic film industry. So far, his record of tug-of-war with politics is unique in world film history.
Difficult to God is Germain's posthumous work.
The filming started in the Czech Republic in 2000 and lasted for six years. Since then, the director has been doing editing and sound processing until his death in 2013. The film was finally completed by his son Alexei Germain Jr. It premiered at the Rome Film Festival in October 2013. Due to the strong de-narrative technique, it did not attract enough attention.
But this did not make people forget its existence, but was recommended by many well-known directors and movie stars.
It is recognized as an alternative sci-fi movie, as the narration in the title, this is not the earth, but some earth-like planet, where the civilization evolved to the European Middle Ages similar to the earth. The story is adapted from the novel of the Strugatsky brothers. In this story, a group of scientific researchers from the earth were sent to that planet to guide the civilization development of that society. They were not allowed to use violence or forcibly intervene, only Able to guide, the male lead Don plays "God" on this planet, like a prophet, and the only normal person in the entire movie behaving.
It's a counter-narrative and filming approach, very visually appealing, black and white texture, authentic medieval atmosphere, at the time, the costumes were set far beyond what you can see in Hollywood movies.
Aside from the visuals and cast, there's hardly much narrative left, arguably none at all. Dialogue doesn't sound like dialogue, doesn't help much in understanding the events or how characters feel in the movie, and it's hard to get a feel for any character in the movie because there's no way to gain insight into the character's development. The whole film feels like almost everyone has come out of a lunatic asylum, even those who are considered "smart" or "normal", the actors are rude to others for no reason, and constantly make crazy, bloody acts in front of the camera. , violent expressions and actions, shameless sense of pornography, enjoyment and indifference to the torture of life, reinforce that everyone is a lunatic. Being thrown in the middle as a viewer, not understanding why the protagonist and other characters are doing this, what they are thinking or feeling.
The audience repeatedly confronts the feces, dust, blood, urine, throws food, throws organs, throws corpses in the film. The planet is a chaotic, backward place, where people live in rain and dirt, without labor, for no reason, and make the audience repeat the scene for three hours.
A film that is regarded as a masterpiece, what does the director want to express through it?
Can understand without the details.
Don is the incarnation of great love, similar to God. In the uncivilized Middle Ages, he led human beings to generate enlightenment and consciousness of civilization. On the anti-intellectual planet, he worked hard to rescue smart people without being suspected by the world, and protect them and give help ; Walk on the bottom of the common people and society every day, quell disputes, oppose the Greys, and enlighten them.
To sum up in one sentence, if there was no Renaissance, what would European civilization look like now?
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