My Cultural Diet

I’ve been fascinated by Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker ever since I saw a still from it in my film history textbook back in college. Ostensibly a sci-fi film about three men — a writer, a professor, and their titular guide — who journey into the heart of a perilous and forbidden zone in search of a mysterious room that will grant a person’s deepest wish, Stalker can be long and ponderous. Its characters often segue into philosophical monologues about art, science, faith, and human nature, and the film contains surreal sequences that could be dreams or displays of the zone’s bizarre effects. If you’re willing to surrender to Stalker’s glacial pace and elliptical narrative, however, then you’ll be treated to a truly unique cinematic atmosphere thanks to the film’s otherworldly locations, Tarkovsky’s unhurried direction, Alexander Knyazhinsky’s lush cinematography, and Eduard Artemyev’s haunting, exotic soundtrack.

I may earn an affiliate commission on items you buy through Opus. These commissions will go directly to support the site and my blogging.