The Mirror (1975)
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Cinematographer: Georgy Rerberg
Run-Time: 107 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Film Stock: 35mm Black & White Negative and Color Negative
The Mirror is one of the most surreal and important films made by famous Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky. The Mirror is a story told non-linearly and without clear plot or direction, it’s extremely stream-of-consciousness. The main protagonist Alexei is loosely based on Andrei Tarkovsky and his life. Alexei appears sporadically throughout the film, cutting in and out of dreams and memories that question and analyze childhood, war, and love. This film is one of Andrei Tarkovsky’s most famous and it heavily relies on beautiful cinematic shots of nature while a narrator voices over the images shown, usually poetry and thoughts on the importance of life. The Mirror is often slow in pace, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in beauty and significance. Andrei Tarkovsky channels all of his inner knowledge of solitude in the universe and transforms it into one of the greatest and one of my favorite films of all time.
Andrei Tarkovsy as a director is known for super surreal and cinematically poetic films. This film is the prime example as it contains dreams, memories, and short poetic ramblings that make the viewer question and analyze certain normalcies posed by either the characters or by Tarkovsky himself. The Mirror is the kind of film that one would watch on a cold rainy day and ponder the true meanings of things. Andrei Tarkovsky loves using long takes of shots that pan or travel over far distances of nature as the narrator or a main character thinks aloud. Similarly, in dream sequences or recollections of memories there are long slow camera movements that act as another character, one who is interested in whatever they please at the time. This film focuses largely on dreams and memories as they are two of Tarkovsky’s favorite subjects across all of his films and throughout all his writing. The Mirror is a perfect name for this film as it is also a self-reflection of and into Tarkovsky and his thoughts, feelings, ideas, dreams, and memories.
[Image: Tarkovsky, Andrei, director.The Mirror. Criterion Collection, 1975].
One of the main reasons I find this film to be so special is because of the way Andrei Tarkovsky portrays dreams. This film is only 107 minutes total, just under 2 hours, yet it dives into so many deep and honest ideas of a creator and all the dreams and memories possible. The whole film changes time and space constantly and without warning, it’s a very Marxist film in the sense that it shares time equally with positive and negative. There is a balance between when there are characters and when there aren’t, and it’s almost even, though it is only even because Tarkovsky decides for it to be. I was heavily inspired by Tarkovsky and especially this film when I was thinking of an idea for my first short film, Greene Dreams, mainly with the idea of dreams and memories. There is no clear and concise guide as to when and what are dreams and when and what are memories, there is only the hope that the viewer has the sense to decipher or think of these ideas for themselves. The Mirror reflects heavily on Tarkovsky’s own experiences and memories, something that I think all creators do, and yet Tarkovsky does it so effortlessly that it doesn’t quite feel like he is preaching or stating a certain viewpoint for the viewer to align with. Tarkovsky’s ability to craft such a wonderfully poetic cinematic film through dreams and memories is just one of many reasons why I love this film so much.
[Image: Tarkovsky, Andrei, director.The Mirror. Criterion Collection, 1975].
On top of just dreams, memories are the second most important aspect of this film. Tarkovsky, like all creators, utilizes memory to guide the viewer through a landscape of his own mind. But this film does so more than most others that I have seen. Where other directors and creators may try to deny or hide the importance of their memories and experiences in their art Tarkovsky embraces and emphasizes it. I find this trait quite admirable as he is not one to pander towards critics or viewers who would like to act holier-than-thou when watching a film or interacting with certain artistic creations. The Mirror utilizes memories to further the reasons for filming. Many films would, and do, use memories as background information for given characters and situations. The Mirror is different however as it uses memories as the main focus of the story and doesn’t rely on one or two main characters to further the plot. The memories in this film move without a clear and obvious structure to the viewer, though I do honestly believe that Tarkovsky knew exactly where he was placing certain memories and why they fit in those spots specifically. There is a science to the madness of the memories created and examined in this film, and Tarkovsky is Dr. Frankenstein.
[Image: Tarkovsky, Andrei, director.The Mirror. Criterion Collection, 1975].
I’ve seen The Mirror probably ten or eleven times, but each viewing has increased my love for it. I first watched this film two or two and a half years ago when I originally learned about Andrei Tarkovsky and the kinds of films he made. The honesty and sincerity of the surreal dreams and memories shown in this film are what make it one of Tarkovsky’s most popular and important. There is nothing better than watching the slow and methodical camera movement along with the poetic narration overlaying the beautiful images in The Mirror. I think The Mirror as a film has influenced my thoughts and ideals more than almost any other film, book, or piece of art ever, and I am excited for every possible future viewing of it.
[Image: Tarkovsky, Andrei, director. The Mirror. Criterion Collection, 1975].
Finally, my favorite quote of the entire film:
Narrator – “A poet is called upon to provoke a spiritual jolt, and not to cultivate idolaters.”
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