Mirror

Although autobiographical threads run through most of Andrei Tarkovsky’s films, Mirror is undoubtedly the most personal work in his oeuvre. Told through a succession of memories, visions, reveries and dreams, the film draws on both personal and family experience. Its non-linear narrative centres on the recollections of the dying poet Alexei, while its visual texture constantly shifts between colour, black and white, and sepia. In Mirror, Tarkovsky distilled the essence of his long artistic quest, while also capturing something at the heart of the Soviet soul: a piercing emptiness that resists fulfillment. This dreamlike void permeates faces, landscapes and interiors alike – an afterimage of war, but also a metaphor for national identity. The film unfolds as a stream of consciousness distributed across multiple figures, a journey through the labyrinth of memory. Because of its intricate structure and poetic form, it never received an official release, yet today it is widely regarded as one of the supreme masterpieces of world cinema.

Michał Konarski

Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–1986)– Soviet film director and screenwriter, widely regarded as one of the greatest auteurs in cinema history. He studied Direction at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow under the guidance of Mikhail Romm. His debut feature Ivan’s Childhood won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. His illustrious filmography includes Andrei Rublev, Solaris, and The Mirror. Ingmar Bergman once said that he “invented a new language in line with the nature of cinema that captures life as a reflection, life as a dream”. Tarkovsky’s influence can be seen in the works of numerous contemporary filmmakers, from Carlos Reygadas to Nicolas Winding Refn.

17th New Horizons IFF Catalogue