This was probably the most interesting movie I have ever seen in terms of plots. While it was very difficult to follow along, this film had a definite plot as opposed to "Man with a Movie Camera." The director, Andre Tarkovsky, once said to understand the essence of the movie, don't view it thinking as an adult, try to think as a child. While it was challenging, I took this to heart and honestly tried to deviate away from thinking logically with this film and tried to view it with an open mind, not anticipating anything, and taking in each scene one at a time. I felt like if I tried to string each scene together, I would become more confused with what was going on. However, after reflecting on the movie, I really can't explain the plot even if I wanted to.
One thing that did jump out at me was that there was a supernatural feel to the film. There was one scene where a young boy was left home alone and then all of a sudden, two women were at his dinner table with cups of tea. After a short conversation, the vanished leaving the contestation of their cups on the table. This seemed like a joint theme with children in the film. I have watched some shows on TV about ghosts and it seems like a common pattern for apparitions to appear before children and not in front of adults. I could be wrong if this was the case in the movie, but a few scenes reminded me of that.
Another part of this film that made it confusing was its wide use of symbolism. I was able to pick up on certain things such as the side clips that Tarkovsky incorporated in the film. For example, one of them scenes that suck out was the one where the woman was in a room washing her hair with mud covered all over the walls. I wasn't exactly sure what the meaning behind it was, but it was a very eerie scene.
After watching "Mirror," one thing that I questioned was the reason behind the woman living in the middle of nowhere with small children and no husband. This was never answered and it was a bit unsettling because the audience never understood the intentions of what seemed to be the main character in the film. Overall, this film really made me think. It was definitely unlike any other movie I have ever seen, that's for sure.
I've come up with "explanations" for many of the shots and scenes in the movie--but the one where the woman mysteriously appears in the room remains especially difficult, even though I find it tremendously effective. Hopefully we'll get a chance to discuss it, but I think the film may be trying to convey someone's imagination (ie, the narrator's) over what his son Ignat might be going through--at the same time, reading his own childhood into it.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think Tarkovsky manages to convey dreams, memories, and imagation--and yes reflections (think mirror!)--and he does this in a way that's both artistic and that also touches straight to the soul.