Amoeba Music

This futuristic fantasy, adapted from a novel by the Strugatsky brothers, is set on a foreign planet whose inhabitants are experiencing their own Middle Ages, and are under observation by a team of Earth scientists who are revered with God-like status and yet are unable to interfere in any way with the population's own development.


Taking place on the planet Arkanar, which is in the midst of its own Middle Ages, the film focuses on Don Rumata (Leonid Yarmolik), one of a group of Earth scientists who have been sent to Arkanar with the proviso that they must not interfere in the planet's political or historical development. Treated by the planet's natives as a kind of divinity, Don Rumata is both godlike and impotent in the face of its chaos and brutality.

The story behind the film's production can be traced back to the mid-1960s, when German first decided to adapt the celebrated sci-fi novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky (authors of the source novel of Tarkovsky's Stalker). The project occupied German's creative efforts for the last 15 years of his life. He passed away in 2013, leaving behind this extraordinary final film, which was close enough to completion that his wife and son were able to finish the film just after German's death.

The film's cast includes Leonid Yarmolnik, Aleksandr Chutko, Yuriy Tsurilo, Evgeniy Gerchakov, and Natalya Moteva, and features stunning black & white photography by Vladimir Illyn and Yuri Klimenko, creating a powerful and unforgettable visual experience.

Special Features:

• Behind-the-Scenes Documentary (44 min.)
• Booklet with Director's Statement by Aleksei German and Essays by Alexey German Jr. and Aliza Ma
• Introduction by co-screenwriter Svetlana Karmalita
• Trailer