Mirror

There are a lot of movies and films out there, too many in fact to see in a single lifetime. This is especially true if you only watch a certain subset of movies or a specific genre. Here in America, there's a certain type of movie that is not nearly celebrated enough, at least in my mind. That is the foreign film, which is a real shame because there are some terrific movies out there, not spoken in English, some of the best ever made. Today, I wanted to highlight one of those, one that holds a special place in my collection, heart, and mind. A movie that is likely the first art film showcased on this show and one from a cinematic master.

So if you’re like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotions they convey, then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that’s a homemade white Russian. So sit back, relax, and let’s talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.

I've always enjoyed learning about other cultures, specifically the art that makes them tick. Though I felt that way for a long time, I found myself more enveloped in exploring other cultures in my sophomore year of high school and beyond. Like anything in life, everything starts with something...one thing that opens the door to more opportunities. That was the same in my experience. For me I began gaining interest from learning about my family history, specifically my mom's side if the family, who were Sicilian immigrants. That sparked an interest in Italy and learning more about the history, culture, and the experiences of my ancestors.

It wasn't until my sophomore year of high school though that I more consciously took to exploring art from other cultures. I listened to music from around the world, specifically metal, and even more specifically black metal, read books from international authors, and of course watched foreign films. I even developed a small goal to find at least one black metal band I liked and buy an album of theirs from each European country...a feat that required a good amount of research and listening that was a lot of fun and fed my curiosity.

In that exploration I found that each country had a different manner of expression, which I found fascinating...I still do in fact. That makes sense when you think about it, but in my immature mind I was fascinated by it. We are all, inspired, shaped, and affected by our environment, our circumstances, our experiences, and in that regard each country is pretty unique from one another. I gravitated toward art from a few countries, but there was one that stood out among the rest and for a lot of reasons.

The biggest of all is that the art I consumed was quite simply put...amazing. It was everything I had wanted at that time. It asked questions I was asking, explored a depth of consciousness that resonated with me, and was told with a lot of honesty. I gravitated toward literary and cinematic works of of Russian art. For me that began with books. I read The Idiot by Dostoevsky and I needed more of whatever mafic was in that recipe. I began reading Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Nabokov among others. One of my favorite books was and maybe still is Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. In it I found a lovely and lyrical wording and imagery that satisfied my imagination and an amazing cadence that felt undeniably masterful. Today Russia is getting a lot of flack and that is very understandable, but their culture is rich with some pretty phenomenal works of art and today I'm going to highlight one of my favorite films, which comes from a Russian cinematic genius.

Our subject today is a lot like the book I mentioned earlier, Eugene Onegin. It too is by a Russian master and a movie that checks all of the same boxes. It's about a man named Alexei, who is dying...a man who we never see, only hear through his narration. Alexei recounts his life to us through his memories, which are non-linear. In them we learn about his mother, his childhood, the war, and moments that made him who he is. It's an experience told in a sort of episodic nature, jumping around not only in time, but between characters we follow. With each orated passage shedding more light on a life unknown to us. What unfurls is a dream-like almost entrancing movie that is equally as thought provoking as it is beautiful.

Make no mistake, Mirror is an art film…one made by one of the great auteurs of cinema. A film from legendary Russian director, Andrei Tarkovsky. For my money, Tarkovsky is one of the five best filmmakers of all time, which for some might be a hot take, but if you look at his work, it’s impossible to deny his skill, vision, and more importantly his impact. 

Mirror is one of my favorite films and I've watched it several times and with each viewing I seem to discover something new and amazing. It strikes a chord with me that just feels right and I find myself melting into it every time I tune in. Having said that, I fully understand that this type of movie won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Some people might find it confusing, slow, or boring. One of those, being my wife. I introduced her to this movie last year with the clarity beforehand that what she was about to watch was her first true art film experience. When it was all said and done, it did not resonate with her, but I appreciated that she watched it nonetheless. Personally though, I love to get lost in the amazing imagery, beautifully rhythmic narration, and the tales being unfurled before me.

Before I go any further I feel it might be helpful to explain a term you might hear now and agin in cinematic circles, which is Arthouse. Arthouse films are movies that tell the story within their celluloid with an artistic minded expression. That is fairly vague, so let's briefly unpack that. Artistic could mean a variety of things. It could mean that the boundaries or norms of cinema are being pushed, expanded, or challenged through new techniques. This is where some of the ground-breaking movements cone into play like the French New Wave and Italian Neo-Realism. It could also mean that the movie is being delivered as a form of art through its cinematography, direction, and acting. If you juxtapose that with non-arthouse films, you'll find works geared more toward entertainment and with that in mind it's easy to spot the differences. You can get a real sense of these two by looking at the most recent Too 100 lists from the BFI or British Film Institute and the AFI or the American Film Institute. The BFI's list is almost exclusively arthouse while the AFI's list is almost exclusively entertainment. For me the truth lies somewhere in the middle of both lists, but those will illustrate the differences very well. Now, whether you are familiar with arthouse or not, a lot of conematic gems are found here along with some of the best directors, screenwriters, actors, and actresses. So if you find yourself more interested in cinema, I highly recommend exploring more films in general, including arthouse fimms.

Among those great artistic minds of arthouse is the director of today's subject. Andrei Tarkovsky was a director with a tremendous vision and understanding of time and space. He also loved achieving real time (That's R-E-A-L) in reel time (R-E-E-L). He began directing in the 1950s and debuted with his first full-length feature in 1961. We can see several long continuous shots across his filmography that are beautifully done to show real time in reel time. One of those being the opening scene of his final film The Sacrifice, a shot that lasts over nine minutes. Needless to say, he has a gift for cinema. A vision and a great sense of time and space.

Tarkovsky graduated from VGIK or the State Institute of Cinematography in 1960. With him was a prestigious class of filmmakers who would go on to define Russian cinema for the next generations. Alongside him were the likes of Elem Klimov (highlighted in my third episode for Come and See), Sergei Bondarchuck, and Larissa Shepitko. Each of them seemingly making movies within different genres and carving out a legacy for themselves, while at the same time introducing the world to new Russian cinema. 

Andrei's filmography is impressive to say the least with several amazing works including Andrei Rublev, The Stalker, Nostalghia, and Solaris.

Mirror is an allegory, playing with the timeline of the narrator’s life. It weaves a tale of the narrator, reflecting on his life as an ill man on his deathbed. All of the moments depicted are also all based on real events of Tarkovsky’s life. grandmother, mother, and himself to weave a non-linear tale of history. In the words of the director himself, “this film was based on my own screenplay containing no invented episodes. All the episodes were really part of our family history. All of them, without exception.”

Maybe the most impactful part of our subject today is the narration that guides us throughout. On my first viewing, it certainly was for me and what captured me the most. The narrator speaks eloquently through a beautifully annunciated poetic delivery that is absolutely spellbinding. All of the words spoken are taken from the poetry of Arseny Tarkovsky, Andrei's father. Arseny himself is also the voice behind the narration, which undoubtedly aids in his excellent delivery.

This is my favorite film of Tarkovsky’s filmography. I had the pleasure of seeing this screened here in Philadelphia, thanks to the great people at the Philadelphia Film Society earlier this year, which was such a joy for me. Everything is better on the big screen and that rand true for Mirror as well, I really loved it.

BFI released their Sight and Sound Top 100 list earlier this year and for the first time, films of this century were on the list. Of those one-hundred, three of Tarkovsky’s  films resided in the top seventy-five of that list, one of which was our subject today.

If you’d like to watch Mirror for yourself, you can find it on a variety of streaming services. At the time of this recording you can find it on the Criterion Channel. The Criterion Channel is a service of tremendous value from our friends at the Criterion Collection with pricing options of $10.99 per month or $99 per year, which is what I chose to do.

You can also find it on services like Prime Video or FreeVee for free or on Vudu for $2.00 to rent.

If you like this podcast, tell your friends and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Each week there will be hints about episodes before they air. If you’d you'd like to learn more about the podcast visit our website at glazedcinema.com. There you’ll find more info about the show and a place to submit ideas for future episodes. For film fans who are hearing impaired, the blog page on our website features each episode in written form as well. As always, thanks for listening and I hope to see you next time with another beverage and another fine film on Glazed Cinema.