Mirror (1975)

Name: Mirror (1975)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: August 17, 1983
Duration: 107 min
Rating: 82
Cast: Alla Demidova, Anatoli Solonitsyn, Filipp Yankovskiy, Ignat Daniltsev, Larisa Tarkovskaya

1983

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	Your Score
7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Janus Film | Release Date: August 17, 1983 | G

Starring: Alla Demidova, Anatoli Solonitsyn, Filipp Yankovskiy, Ignat Daniltsev, Larisa Tarkovskaya, Margarita Terekhova, Nikolai Grinko, Oleg Yankovskiy, Tamara Ogorodnikova, Yuriy Nazarov

Summary: A dying man in his forties remembers his past. His childhood, his mother, the war, personal moments and things that tell of the recent history of all the Russian nation.

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: G

Runtime: 107 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Mark Chalon Smith

While there is barely a story to tie it all together, The Mirror finds connections in the longings of Alexei. He longs to understand his past, his land, his family, his inspirations and fears, and that’s what the movie is able to convey in its abstract but persuasive way. Read full review

100

Donald Clarke

Mirror is much copied, but as the recent run of Terrence Malick films demonstrates, eschewing time and plot for flotsam and psyche is much harder than Tarkovsky makes it look. Read full review

100

Michael Wilmington

Truly original and unique: genuine film poetry, full of spellbinding images and sequences. [20 Mar 1998, p.L]

Philip French

It's a beautiful, elaborately textured film, by some way Tarkovsky's most difficult, and not to be approached without first consulting some exegetical text. [15 Aug 2004, p.9]

Empire Staff (Not Credited)

Regardless of its dense intellectual and autobiographical content, however, Mirror can still be appreciated as an attempt to capture the human soul and to show that, for all our diverse individual experiences, we still have much in common on an emotional and spiritual level. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

A startling piece of film-making, floating free of the conventional demands of period and narrative. Read full review

Lawrence Van Gelder

Mr. Tarkovsky appears so absorbed in grappling with his own demons that universality suffers. [17 Aug 1983, p.C14]

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User Reviews

OlivierPiel

Dec 31, 2022

Andrei Arsenevitch. As if Tolstoy's Prince André, looking at the sky at Austerlitz, became a real man in flesh and blood through magic and found his true artistic calling. Since Tarkovsky morphed into the tranquil, serene, slow conjurer of floating memories and fleeting dreams, the master ofAndrei Arsenevitch. As if Tolstoy's Prince André, looking at the sky at Austerlitz, became a real man in flesh and blood through magic and found his true artistic calling. Since Tarkovsky morphed into the tranquil, serene, slow conjurer of floating memories and fleeting dreams, the master of real kinematic magic. But not one who aims to fool, entertain or assuage us into infantile escapism but to elevate us, to come closer to God. Nothing less than that. In this masterpiece, each one of us can rediscover his/her mother , childhood, fears even though none of us ever lived in WWII Moscow.
We are left ingrained in our psyche this scene and that scene, that back of the head, that plucked chicken, that fire and that water that we have seen in our own way, that shared experience of the passing time, its meaning (the purpose of imperfect memories and "unreality" of dreams) and what will be left of us if don't do anything to work for the Good(this part is my two cents!).… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Amirhosein2005

Feb 3, 2023

My intention is not only to review this film, but all of Tarkovsky's films. His films were extremely powerful and influential, which will remain in your mind for the rest of your life. Poetic, realistic cinematography... Tarkovsky was the one whose films I enjoyed and understood the trueMy intention is not only to review this film, but all of Tarkovsky's films. His films were extremely powerful and influential, which will remain in your mind for the rest of your life. Poetic, realistic cinematography... Tarkovsky was the one whose films I enjoyed and understood the true meaning of artistic cinema.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

hamidgoodarzi

May 27, 2023

Creating a world full of light
"Mirror" is considered by many Tarkovsky fans and cinema experts to be his best work. But really, his works do not differ much in quality. Tarkovsky works miracles and it doesn't matter if it is in "Ivan's Childhood" or "Mirror" or "Sacrifice". His deepCreating a world full of light
"Mirror" is considered by many Tarkovsky fans and cinema experts to be his best work. But really, his works do not differ much in quality. Tarkovsky works miracles and it doesn't matter if it is in "Ivan's Childhood" or "Mirror" or "Sacrifice". His deep understanding of cinema, music and literature has shaped his special and different atmosphere in his works. The common elements in the films with the special tone and language form the author Tarkovsky's cinema. In the mirror is the most important concept of "word" which is next to Concepts and other elements such as woman, land, human, light, war, love, mirror, sacrifice, ethics, salvation, life, etc. create a strange and mysterious combination and at the same time attractive and catchy. The title of prophet of cinema is fitting and lasting for him and spiritual cinema for his films.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Trailesque

Aug 23, 2021

In an impressionistic series of scenes, Tarkovsky shares with us the memories of his childhood: his deep attachment to his mother, his mostly absent father, encounters with some interesting people, and his love for the Russian countryside. Tarkovsky, whose father was a poet, consideredIn an impressionistic series of scenes, Tarkovsky shares with us the memories of his childhood: his deep attachment to his mother, his mostly absent father, encounters with some interesting people, and his love for the Russian countryside. Tarkovsky, whose father was a poet, considered himself to be one also, and many of the images are a kind of visual poetry: e.g. the slow, moving shots of a burning barn and a wind blowing across a yard. Much of it is beautiful and moving in an indirect way.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

DawdlingPoet

Nov 27, 2021

This is a sobering watch - its quite an arty style of film, partly in black and white and the timeline seemed a little all over the place. It looked to me, visually, like something of a series of dream sequences, with library footage of war scenes and other historical events relevant toThis is a sobering watch - its quite an arty style of film, partly in black and white and the timeline seemed a little all over the place. It looked to me, visually, like something of a series of dream sequences, with library footage of war scenes and other historical events relevant to Russia in the early to mid 1900s. This film was a bit too complicated, in terms of the symbolism, the ultimate meaning of whats being said, for me to fully grasp. The dialogue seemed almost poetic at times but I couldn't quite figure out what it all amounted to somehow. It did seem somewhat poignant at times perhaps but I felt it was perhaps a little too dark and unclear for me to be especially keen on, if thats not too unfair a thing to say(?). There is definitely a sinister undercurrent present but it also is very much based on the everyday life of Russian people in the first half of the 1900s.

I wouldn't recommend this as such, no.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

mmaa_han

Feb 23, 2021

ajab film ajibi bood
pishnehad mishe hame hade aghal ye bar in filmo bebinan tarkofski man hamino azash didam vali ba sabk film sakhtanesh bayad ashna besham
mamnon

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

Broyax

Dec 31, 2021

Un film « éboulifiant » que l’on dirait tout droit sorti d’un sketch des Inconnus… sauf que ça dure une heure trois quarts, ce truc ! notons cependant que ça reste assez court tout de même, surtout venant de ce réalisateur de l’ère soviétique, Tarkovski (qui étale ses daubes habituelles surUn film « éboulifiant » que l’on dirait tout droit sorti d’un sketch des Inconnus… sauf que ça dure une heure trois quarts, ce truc ! notons cependant que ça reste assez court tout de même, surtout venant de ce réalisateur de l’ère soviétique, Tarkovski (qui étale ses daubes habituelles sur deux heures et demi ou trois heures), qualifié de pur génie par tous les bobos du monde entier, y compris Télérama et Positif bien évidemment.

Notons également -cependant- que ces moins de deux plombes qui tentent de nous occuper ici, durent en vérité le triple ou le qudruple en temps ressenti, voire bien plus encore… il ne s’agit pas pour autant d’un film surréaliste, il n’en a même pas l’excuse : c’est plutôt un mélange foutraque monté dans le désordre par un scénariste alcoolique.

De fait, on pige que dalle dans ce merdier sans queue ni tête et si l’actrice blonde principale est tout à fait charmante, elle ne suffit pas à nous tenir éveillé ! mais je crois en vérité que ce film (intenable) était avant tout utilisé pour faire parler les prisonniers politiques, camarades ! (ils devenaient fous ou ils tombaient dans le coma…).… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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