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King Lear

King Lear

Jealous love leads to destruction.

198790 minPGMidcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Director
Jean-Luc Godard
Starring
Peter Sellars, Burgess Meredith, Julie Delpy, Leos Carax

A descendant of Shakespeare tries to restore his plays in a world rebuilding itself after the Chernobyl catastrophe obliterates most of human civilization.

Where to watch

Where can I watch King Lear?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove does not list King Lear on any major US streaming service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about King Lear?

King Lear earns 4 badges, led by Cult Classic and One of a kind.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office

Reception

Is King Lear worth watching?

King Lear's Midcredits score is the 41st percentile of all films, from 6.8K ratings across 5 sources. 40% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

41st percentile

Better received than 41% of films

47th percentile among Comedy44th percentile among 1980s
Acclaim (how much people like it)45th
Approval (how many liked it)38th

60 /100

45th percentile of all films

51st percentile among Comedy47th percentile among 1980s

Critics 50 · Audience 61

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

40% liked it

38th percentile of all films

41st percentile among Comedy40th percentile among 1980s
40% rated it 7–1060% rated it 1–6

Critics 69% · Audience 56%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 0 wins / 1 noms overall

65th percentile

6.7K ratings across platforms

59th percentile among Comedy60th percentile among 1980s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 48% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$2M
Opening weekend$8.8K
Domestic gross$62K
Worldwide gross$85K

Returned 0.0× its budget — 21st percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A radically experimental, difficult film that prioritizes ideas over narrative.

Fans praised

  • wildly original and inventive visual essay
  • dense philosophical meditation on art, image, and language
  • playfully experimental with sound and montage

Detractors panned

  • self-indulgent, pretentious, and inaccessible
  • no plot, no coherent character work
  • aggressively boring and irritating sound design

What stands out

OriginalityDivisive88

unprecedented deconstruction of adaptation

AtmosphereDivisive70

dreamlike post-apocalyptic world-building

CinematographyDivisive65

clear lovely images amid chaos

Sound and musicDivisive45

inventive but deliberately abrasive audio collage

ActingDivisive45

varied; Ringwald touching, Meredith authoritative

DialogueDivisive35

overlapping, mumbled, deliberately opaque

Characters15

barely sketched, symbolic rather than developed

Plot and story10

purposefully fractured and nearly nonexistent

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • US vs non-US 2 points apart

Watch experience

What is King Lear like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Mind-bender: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want a puzzle and can give it your full attention.

It takes its time, has a few laughs and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you can only half-watch or you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention, patience and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Mind-bender.

Moods
AbsurdMelancholicContemplative
Heaviest: late
Absurdist humor: Deliberately illogical; embraces nonsense.
Register
PlayfulAbsurdist · 7% of films: Deliberately illogical; embraces nonsense.Satirical · 5% of films
The answer rests on this: Told as
Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.
ToneGodard treats the material with playful irony, often undercutting dramatic moments with absurdist humor and experimental techniques.
The rideThe film mixes playful absurdity with underlying melancholy from the tragic father-daughter story, becoming heavier toward the ending.
StructureThe film is told in a fragmented, associative manner with intertitles, jumping between scenes and ideas, often losing linear continuity.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves you pondering art, family, and meaning, while its fragmented, weird execution lingers uneasily.
How it ends · evidence
Tragic ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).QuestMission
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10% (this title): Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% (this title) · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Quest: A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles. · Mission: Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).

10% of films fit this archetype

with Tragedy underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe film follows William Shakespeare Junior the Fifth on a quest to restore lost art after Chernobyl, reconstructing King Lear from characters he encounters. The underlying tragic arc of Lear and Cordelia provides a secondary archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfArtIdeas
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5% (this title): Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% (this title) · Technology 1%

Ideas

Art · 4% of filmsFamily bonds
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores the necessity of art revival in a post-apocalyptic world, while also examining the father-daughter bond through Don Learo and Cordelia.
StanceThe film questions the value and survival of art after catastrophe, simultaneously examining the emotional power of the Lear story.

The world

ContemporaryRuralWildernessMagical realism
Orchestral classicalElectronicForeground music · original score
SettingA Swiss hotel resort in the aftermath of Chernobyl, where art is lost and a filmmaker tries to reconstruct King Lear.
MusicThe soundtrack features manipulated Beethoven symphonies and screeching seagulls, often used to disorient or emphasize mood.

Content guide

Is King Lear okay for kids?

PG

King Lear is rated PG.

Ratings in 1 other country
  • FranceTP

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does King Lear have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in King Lear?

Cast

Peter Sellars
as William Shaksper Junior the Fifth
Burgess Meredith
as Don Learo
Julie Delpy
as Virginia
Leos Carax
as Edgar
Molly Ringwald
as Cordelia
Jean-Luc Godard
as Professor Pluggy
Woody Allen
as Mr. Alien
Suzanne Lanza
Michèle Pétin
as Journalist
Freddy Buache
as Professor Quentin Kozintsev

Crew

More like this

What are movies like King Lear?

Movies like King Lear include Goodbye to Language (2014), Weekend (1967) and Sweet Movie (1974). Of the 5 closest matches, two are magical-realist films, and most are satires.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Jean-Luc Godard wrote and directed 3 of these 5. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with King Lear?

1.4K other films share the rarest tag below, premise: expedition. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.