I love your edit of U Are The Universe!! Its so good to see non-hollywood/US space movies, do you have more recommendations?
YESSS, I always have more space movie recommendations!! Here’s a list of some of my favourite non-American space movies, in no particular order.
1. Solaris (1972)
If you’re gonna watch one movie from this list, it should be this one. This is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. The plot follows psychologist Chris Kelvin as he travels to a space station orbiting the planet Solaris to investigate mysterious events that have caused the station’s crew to lose contact with Earth. Soon after arriving, he discovers that everyone on the station is being confronted with physical manifestations of their memories and past mistakes.
2. Planet of Storms (1962)
This one is for all the Star City fans, because this movie is about a Soviet manned mission to Venus. After an accident, the crew is forced to land on the planet and must survive its dangerous environment. (This movie is also famous for its special effects, which were among the most advanced of their time, even compared to many Western productions)
3. Through Thorns to the Stars (1981)
A space crew discovers an abandoned ship of extraterrestrial origin. The entire crew of the ship is dead except for a woman named Niya, an artificially created being with extraordinary abilities. Together, she and the crew attempt to uncover the truth about her origins and help the inhabitants of the dying planet Dessa, where she comes from.
4. Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986)
I don’t even know how to begin describing what this movie is about, it’s one of those movies that are impossible to describe lol. But in short, the movie is about Uncle Vova, an ordinary Moscow resident, and Gedevan, a student, who accidentally end up on the desert planet Plyuk in a distant galaxy. There, they meet the locals and become trapped in the planet’s bizarre social system. This movie is a brilliant social satire, mocking bureaucracy, class inequality, and artificially created shortages.
5. Ikarie XB-1/Voyage to the End of the Universe (1963)
The crew of the spaceship Ikarie XB-1 embarks on an expedition to the Alpha Centauri system in search of extraterrestrial life. During their journey, the astronauts face the psychological consequences of prolonged isolation and confront questions about the future of humanity. It’s important to note that, although this film has an American version (Voyage to the End of the Universe), it differs significantly from the original Czechoslovak version, including its ending. The film also had a major influence on Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, so I think it’s worth watching for that reason alone.
7. Aniara (2018)
The spacecraft Aniara carries people from a dying Earth to Mars, but after a collision with debris, it is knocked off course and loses the ability to return. The passengers try to preserve a sense of normal life until the emptiness and hopelessness of their situation become impossible to ignore.
It reminds me a lot of Lord of the Flies, but in a more melancholic and existential way.
8. Hard to Be a God (1989/2013)
With this one, I’d recommend watching the 1989 version first and then the 2013 version, because they are both based on the same novel but are very different films. In my opinion, the 1989 version has a more understandable plot and stays closer to the book, but it is obviously not as large-scale and “epic” as the 2013 version. The plot follows Earth scientist Anton, who, under the name of the nobleman Don Rumata of Estor, lives among the people of another planet, where civilization is stuck in a period resembling Earth’s Middle Ages. Observing the cruelty and ignorance of this world, he struggles with whether he has the right to intervene and change the course of history. This one is less about space in the traditional sense, but I included it anyway because it’s still a really good sci-fi film with a very unique premise.
9. Cargo (2009)
In a dystopian future where Earth has become nearly uninhabitable, humanity survives in overcrowded space stations. Young doctor Laura Portmann lives on one of these stations and dreams of escaping to the colony planet Rhea. To earn enough money for a place on a transport to Rhea, Laura takes a job aboard the cargo ship Kassandra, which is making a journey to the Station 42 and back. During the mission, she discovers that the ship is not carrying ordinary cargo and begins to uncover a conspiracy that reveals the terrible truth about the world she lives in.
