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| Beautiful, but distant. |
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
Produced by Erik Waisberg
Written by Andrei Tarkovsky and Aleksandr Misharin
Starring Margarita Terekhova, Oleg Yankovskiy, Filipp Yankovskiy and Ignat Daniltsev
Plot Summary: Memories of his past, dreams, and the recent events of Russian history are recounted by a dying man.
Significance: Considered one of the greatest international films of all time, this film was featured in the latest Sight and Sound Poll (#19 in 2012 critics' poll and #9 in the directors' one). Also, the film was notably withheld from the Cannes Film Festival by the Russian State Committee for Cinematography, despite the festival director's desire to include it.
Thoughts: Last year I watched Solaris for my Blind Spot Series, and I loved it, despite it being a challenge to watch at times. Having now seen all but Nostalghia, this is arguably Tarkovsky's most artful and most dense feature. The director uses all kinds of techniques - color-shifting cinematography, obscure flashbacks, and poetic imagery - to tell this story, and the film largely remains a visually captivating and intellectually stimulating experience. However, it feels a little distant and removed, making it tough to really engage with. Tarkovsky films aren't exactly the easiest to watch, but this one felt the most challenging to tackle. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or maybe I just need to give it another look, as it's definitely a film to be studied and further examined. Still, it's a solid outing from the celebrated Russian director, if not my favorite of his filmography.
Rating: B+
This is the fifth film in my 2015 Blind Spot Series, as first started by Ryan McNeil.
It is definitely Tarkovsky's most challenging film but certainly one of his masterworks. In fact, this film did prepare me for The Tree of Life which I think took some cues from Tarkovsky's film.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I responded to The Tree of Life more immediately, but I do want to revisit The Mirror some time to see if it improves for me.
DeleteBeautiful, but distant. Interesting. Well it seems Tarkovsky's films are not easy to watch. Btw, I'll be watching my Blindspot film tonight, it's a French film by Godard, I bet you have seen that one.
ReplyDeleteTarkovsky is a challenge, but always a rewarding one. You can't go wrong with Godard's early work. Some of his newer stuff is a bit less interesting, though.
DeleteYep, I agree, The Mirror is a tough watch. Not very accessible, but still a worthy trip. Nice review here.
ReplyDeleteThanks man! I'll give it another look in a few years, but it was a tough going on the first watch.
DeleteI had a lot of trouble getting into this one, which is to be expected with any Tarkovsky. I too have wanted to give it another watch but haven't yet. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Tarkovsky can be tough, but I love most of his films.
DeleteMy favorite Tarkovsky film. I agree it's a challenging watch. To me it's more personal that Solaris. I heard it was a therapeutic experience for the director making Mirror, a film about memories that plagued him. I'm interested in reviewing it too.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. I hadn't heard the film was therapeutic for Tarkovsky, but I'm more intrigued by it now.
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