If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Pinterest looking at "dark fantasy" aesthetics, you’ve definitely seen him. A tall, pale man with white hair standing on a jagged rock, or a girl in a traditional Slavic wedding dress being snatched by a shadow. That’s Arman and Mira. The movie is He Is a Dragon (originally On - drakon), and honestly, it’s one of the weirdest, most beautiful success stories in international fantasy cinema.
It didn't just appear out of thin air. Released in 2015 by Bazelevs Company—the same studio behind Night Watch and Wanted—it was a bit of a gamble. At the time, big-budget Russian cinema was obsessed with trying to out-Hollywood Hollywood. They wanted explosions. They wanted grit. Instead, director Indar Dzhendubaev gave us a high-concept, slow-burn romance based on the novel The Ritual by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko.
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It bombed in Russia. Like, really hard. It made back a fraction of its budget.
But then something strange happened. The internet found it. Specifically, the Chinese internet. On the site Bilibili, it became a massive viral sensation, racking up millions of views and turning lead actor Matvey Lykov into an overnight superstar in Asia. It’s a fascinating case study in how a movie can be a "failure" at home but a cult masterpiece globally.
The Plot of He Is a Dragon Is Deceptively Simple
Basically, you have Princess Miroslava, or Mira. She’s the youngest daughter of a duke, and she’s about to marry a famous dragon-slayer's grandson, Igor. It’s all very traditional, very cold. During the wedding ceremony, they sing an ancient "ritual" song that was supposed to be a myth.
It wasn't a myth.
A dragon actually shows up, grabs Mira, and hauls her off to a remote, rocky island. When she wakes up, she finds a mysterious young man named Arman. He’s human. Or he thinks he is. Or he wants to be. He doesn’t know how he got there, but he’s basically living in a cave and trying to suppress the beast inside him.
The movie spends the next hour focusing almost entirely on these two people on an island. It’s claustrophobic but gorgeous. It’s less about "fighting a monster" and more about the psychological toll of being the monster. Arman is terrified of himself. Mira is terrified of him, then curious, then eventually, she starts to see the tragedy of his existence.
There’s no sprawling battle scene until the very end. The stakes are internal. If Arman feels love or heat or passion, he turns into a giant CGI dragon and burns everything. It’s a classic Beauty and the Beast trope, but with a much heavier emphasis on the visual poetry of the setting.
Why the Visuals Carry the Story
You have to understand that this movie was made with a specific visual language. The art department, led by Sergey Fevralev, didn't just build sets; they built a mood. The island itself is the carcass of a giant ancient dragon. The sand is black. The water is deep blue.
A lot of the "magic" in He Is a Dragon movie isn't done with glowing sparks or wands. It’s done with practical elements. When Arman tries to explain how he sees the world, he uses wind and sand. There’s a scene involving "fireworks" made of crushed stone that is genuinely one of the most beautiful things ever put on a digital sensor.
And the costumes? Incredible. They used a mix of traditional Slavic garments and high-fashion editorial looks. Because Matvey Lykov (Arman) was a top-tier international fashion model before this, he knows how to move in front of a camera. He treats the character like a physical performance piece. He barely has any dialogue in the first half of the film, yet you know exactly how tortured he feels.
The Viral Rebirth in China and Beyond
So, why did China fall in love with it?
Part of it was the timing. In 2016, there was a huge appetite for "refined" fantasy—stories that weren't just about dudes hitting each other with swords. Chinese audiences appreciated the "Eastern" sensibility of the romance. It wasn't rushed. It was focused on yearning and sacrifice.
On social media, the film's aesthetic—often called "dragon-core" or "Slavic fantasy"—began to bleed into Western spheres too. People who had never seen a Russian film in their life were suddenly hunting for subtitles. It’s a movie that looks like a perfume commercial but feels like a folk tale.
Interestingly, the success was so large that there were talks of a sequel for years. In 2017, Bazelevs even announced a partnership with Chinese production companies to make He Is a Dragon 2. They even cast Chinese actors for certain roles to bridge the gap. However, production hell is a real thing. As of 2026, we’re still waiting for a proper follow-up, though the original has reached "classic" status in the niche fantasy world.
Is It Actually a Good Movie?
It depends on what you want.
If you want Game of Thrones, you’re going to be bored. The pacing is deliberate. Some people call it slow. Others call it "meditative." Honestly, if you aren't into the romance, the movie won't work for you. The CGI, while impressive for the budget, occasionally shows its age, particularly when the dragon is in full flight during high-action sequences.
But if you like atmosphere? If you like movies where the environment tells a story? It’s a 10/10.
The film tackles themes of isolation and the "monster within" in a way that feels very human. Arman isn't a villain. He’s a victim of his own biology. Mira isn't just a damsel; she’s a pragmatist who realizes she can’t "fix" him with a kiss—she has to help him accept who he is.
The soundtrack also deserves a mention. Sasha Lomonosova’s "Ritual" song is haunting. It’s based on traditional pagan-sounding chants that give the whole thing a grounded, historical weight, even though it’s a complete fantasy world.
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How to Watch It Today
Tracking down He Is a Dragon movie can be a bit of a hunt depending on your region. It’s frequently licensed to Amazon Prime or specialized streaming services like Tubi or Vudu.
Make sure you watch the subtitled version.
The English dub is... not great. It loses a lot of the nuance in Lykov’s voice and the poetic flow of the Russian dialogue. The original language has a rhythmic quality that fits the "fairytale" vibe much better.
What You Should Do Next
If you’ve already seen the movie and you're looking for more of that specific "Eastern European dark fantasy" vibe, you should check out the original book The Ritual. It’s a bit darker than the film and goes deeper into the lore of the dragon-men.
You can also look into the works of the authors, the Dyachenkos. They are masters of "high-concept" philosophical fantasy. Their book Vita Nostra is often cited as one of the best dark academia novels ever written, and it shares that same eerie, beautiful DNA found in He Is a Dragon.
If you're a filmmaker or an artist, go back and watch the "making of" featurettes for the film's production design. The way they used light and texture to compensate for a smaller budget than a Disney blockbuster is a masterclass in creative problem-solving.
Finally, keep an eye on international film festivals. While the sequel is stuck in development, the "New Slavic Fantasy" wave is growing, with more directors moving away from Western tropes and leaning into their own local folklore. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the standard superhero fatigue we see in mainstream cinema.