MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Tsar

Tsar

2009 · 119 min

A grim, slow-burning historical drama that immerses you in a world of religious fervor and brutal power struggles, demanding patience and emotional resilience.

Overview
In 16th-century Russia in the grip of chaos, Ivan the Terrible strongly believes he is vested with a holy mission. Believing he can understand and interpret the signs, he sees the Last Judgment approaching. He establishes absolute power, cruelly destroying anyone who gets in his way. During this reign of terror, Philip, the superior of the monastery on the Solovetsky Islands, a great scholar and Ivan's close friend, dares to oppose the sovereign's mystical tyranny. What follows is a clash between two completely opposite visions of the world, smashing morality and justice, God and men. A grand-scale film with excellent leading roles by Mamonov and Yankovsky. An allegory of Stalinist Russia

Search YouTube for the trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • bleakstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • power
  • faith
  • morality
  • violence
  • corruption
Places
  • big city
  • countryside
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror4
Humour1
Realism8
Romance1
Tension7
Darkness9
Complexity7
Emotional weight9

More like this

Titles like Tsar

TV series

Kuruluş: Osman

2019–2025

A sweeping historical drama of battles and betrayals, with earnest heroes and constant scheming that demands attention.

Tense, earnest · about power

Via
  • tense
  • earnest
  • power
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
6
Details In your watch list
Kuruluş: OsmanHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Silence

2016

A grueling, meditative ordeal of faith and suffering, beautiful and punishing, that asks for patience and leaves a heavy silence.

Bleak, tense, slow-burn · about faith

Via
  • bleak
  • tense
  • faith
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
161 min
Details In your watch list
SilenceHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Chernobyl

2019

A suffocating, methodical plunge into catastrophe, where invisible danger and bureaucratic denial create unrelenting dread and profound sorrow.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about power and corruption · true story

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • power
  • corruption
  • true story
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Seasons
1
Details In your watch list
ChernobylHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Uprising

2026

A grim, handheld plunge into medieval revolt, all mud, blood and righteous fury, with little relief and a mounting sense of doom.

Dark, bleak · about power · true story

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • power
  • true story
Pacing
relentless
Attention
engaged
Runtime
128 min
Details In your watch list
The UprisingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Tsar Ivan the Terrible

1991

A heavy, somber historical drama that immerses you in a world of paranoia, cruelty, and fragile humanity.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about power and corruption

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • power
  • corruption
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
137 min
Details In your watch list
Tsar Ivan the TerribleHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ivan the Terrible, Part I

1944

A solemn, visually striking historical drama that feels like a series of intense, theatrical tableaux, demanding close attention.

Dark, tense · about power

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • power
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
95 min
Details In your watch list
Ivan the Terrible, Part IHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Ivan the Terrible

2009

A heavy, solemn historical pageant that moves slowly through palaces and battlefields, demanding patience as it weighs power against cruelty.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about power and faith

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • power
  • faith
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details In your watch list
Ivan the TerribleHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Andrei Rublev

1966

A slow, solemn plunge into medieval Russia, where faith, art, and cruelty mingle in stark black-and-white images that linger.

Bleak, earnest, slow-burn · about faith

Via
  • bleak
  • earnest
  • faith
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
183 min
Details In your watch list
Andrei RublevHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Marketa Lazarová

1967

A stark, disorienting plunge into medieval brutality, where surreal imagery and fractured storytelling demand close attention and reward it with haunting power.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about power and faith

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • power
  • faith
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
166 min
Details In your watch list
Marketa LazarováHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

The Terrible

2020–2021

A slow, somber plunge into a ruler's unraveling mind, heavy with dread and the weight of history.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about power and violence

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • power
  • violence
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Seasons
1
Details In your watch list
The TerribleHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ran

1985

A sweeping, tragic epic that immerses you in a world of brutal warfare and familial betrayal, with moments of stark beauty.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about power

Via
  • dark
  • bleak
  • power
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
160 min
Details In your watch list
RanHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Agony: The Life and Death of Rasputin

1981

A slow, hypnotic plunge into imperial decay, rich with baroque imagery and unsettling psychological intensity.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about power and faith · true story

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • power
  • faith
  • true story
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
142 min
Details In your watch list
Agony: The Life and Death of RasputinHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, history
Directed by
Pavel Lungin
Written by
Aleksei Ivanov, Pavel Lungin
Starring
Pyotr Mamonov, Oleg Yankovsky, Alexandr Domogarov, Ivan Okhlobystin, Yuriy Kuznetsov, Aleksey Makarov, Aleksandr Ilyin Jr, Ville Haapasalo
Music
Yuri Krasavin
Cinematography
Tom Stern
Runtime
119 min
Country
Russia
Languages
Russian

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata