The Mirror
Andrej Tarkovski / SUHH, 1974 / 107 min.
In this dreamy classic, Andrej Tarkovsky’s most personal film, the Russian filmmaker forges childhood memories, news footage and poetry by his father Arseni into a true cinematic poem. Film selected by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
During a severe nervous breakdown, the lead re-experiences his childhood. Images of his beloved mother, grandmother (played by Tarkovski’s mother), his first love and his childhood home flood his mind.
Nostalgia, melancholy and dreams: Tarkovski referred to Mirror [Zerkalo] as his most personal work, however audiences wrote the director angry letters castigating him for the film’s ‘hermetic nature’.
The Soviet authorities also turned on the director due to his emphasis on cinema as an artistic expression without referring to the societal-socialist context. Mirror is definitely complex: past and present mingle, the script is idiosyncratic and the performances are often improvised. Mirror is therefore an archetypal Tarkovski film, in which the human soul metaphysically elevates itself above the quotidian.
Film selected by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Nuri Bilge Ceylan picked Mirror for the film programme accompanying his exhibition at Eye. Ceylan always names Tarkovski as one of his biggest influences and in his international breakthrough Uzak (2002) one of the leads (modelled on himself) watches two Tarkovski films.
This is part of
Special screenings
Details
Director
Andrej Tarkovski
Production year
1974
Country
SUHH
Original title
Zerkalo
Length
107 min.
Language
Russian
Subtitles
NLD or ENG
Format
DCP
Part of
Eye Classics
Eye’s collection includes a wealth of classics. With the Eye Classics series, Eye brings film history even closer. Every week, we screen at least three classics from the collection under one recognisable name: Eye Classics.
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