Review of Stalker

There are just two different ways of cataloging this film: a beautiful, poetic masterpiece, or a big failure from one of the most artistic director of all the times. Yes, both affirmations from above can be quite true. 1. Masterpiece. For an art lover, or a good connoisseur of Tarkovsky's films, this movie comes floating like a dove on the water. The techniques used here are never the less brilliant, and Tarkovsky-an, if I can say that…There are moments in the film that makes you say: STOP, rewind, PLAY it again…and again..and again..and again!!! Even for me, with so many art movies that I've seen in my life, this one is difficult to fully comprehend. I've read the novel that this movie is based on, before seeing the movie, BUT, Tarkovsky doesn't follow the book too much, so it didn't really help me understand it…Oh well, after seeing it the fifth time, I can say that I have a better idea than the first timeJ 2. Failure. Closed, hermetic, snobby, pretentious, boring ..etc. All those adjectives can be found in so many reviews about this film, and is quite understandable why. Tarkovsky did want YOU to understand so easy, he wanted to make YOU think about it, more and more…and in the end to still have more questions…Comparing with all the other films by Tarkovsky, Stalker stands up as the most `difficult' one, and maybe that's why most of the critics are having hard time recognizing its true value!

I have just one recommendation: watch the movie alone, in a dark room, with tons of volume from your receiver (get the 2 DVD version, with the newly re-mastered 5.1 sound). Watch it in one night, and then the second night do the same. Then take a pause of 2-3 days, and do it AGAIN!! After that MAYBE you can comprehend what this movie is all about.