We don't make things easy on ourselves. It is hard to imagine that any other country would have been brave enough to make a 3 hour movie from the point of view from a interstellar earth traveler (which Stephen argued against being anything but science fiction) who, among his group of scientist peers, happen upon and begin to observe a planet from which the people have remained within the dark ages. That wasn't easy to write, and far be it for me to say that this wasn't an easy film to watch. Unlike most movies that hit the cinema, this one is one of observation and endurance. We love black and white movies, and had this been in color, then the content may have been far too graphic. It's definitely one that falls under the "love it or hate it" category. If you are the one who says "I don't get it." or "I didn't follow the plot." then they are both right... and also misinformed as to what it is they have truly experienced. This is a film, for art, not for popcorn and buttock squeezes with your girlfriend on a Saturday night.