TARKOVSKY'S MIRROR - Part 2: Plot and Essence (Zerkalo / Зеркало)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- In Part 2 of Zerkalo's in-depth analysis, we delve into the plot of the film, notable for its unconventional structure and dramaturgy, of various timeframes and lack of typical narrative features.
The essence of the film is addressed as well, through Tarkovsky's own interpretation and explanation, in an attempt to make clear the purpose and meaning of the film.
Mirror DVD & Blu-Ray:
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Sculpting in Time:
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Andrei Tarkovsky - Time within Time: The Diaries:
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Andrei Tarkovsky Interviews:
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Arseny Tarkovsky - I Burned at the Feast:
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Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, Зеркало, Александр Николаевич Мишарин, Маргари́та Бори́совна Те́рехова, Анатолий Алексеевич Солоницын, Эдуа́рд Никола́евич Арте́мьев, Георгий Иванович Рерберг, Мосфильм, Лариса Тарковская.
Hi, i have a question, you said that Ignat its Maria and Alexei son but Maria (Masha) was Alexies mother right? Ignat was the son of Natalya and Alexei if im not wrong
Hey Genald, thanks for pointing that out! If I said that, I definitely messed up, Ignat is the son of Natalya and Alexei as you point out, so somehow I accidentally swapped the names without noticing it. I'll pin your comment to avoid any confusion for other viewers. Thanks again!
@@PlanSéquenceFilmArt No problem bro, your video was great and helped me a lot, keep up the good work
I appreciate very much your academic effort in order to analyze properly this absolutely beautiful movie. For me, Mirror changes my way to watch movies, is another language, is another genre, is as life is. Thank you very much. Best regards from Mexico.
Thank you very much, Hugo. Without a doubt, Mirror is poetry turned into film, the lyricism of poetry, with its melodious and rhythmic musicality, creative association of sounds and imagens, blending thoughts and emotions uniquely. Analyzing as I attempted, doesn't make full justice to the work, but hopefully it helps people to connect and grasp it on some level, if they failed to do it before.
"'Mirror' is in a sense the closest to my theoretical concept of cinema."
-Andrej Tarkowskij
Very true indeed, hence why it's often considered the pinnacle of Tarkovsky's oeuvre.
I want to give you a hug, beautiful soul! Thank you for these gems you're posting.
Please accept my kindest regards (and a virtual hug), I'm overjoyed that you have appreciated my humble efforts at presenting Andrei's unique, soulful art.
My favourite movie of all times... Thank you for this wonderful analysis! You must have invested lots of energy and time into these short documentaries, please keep up the great work!
Hi Kyra, thank you sincerely for your kind appreciation. These video essays sure take some effort and research, so it's always satisfying to find out that at least one person has found them valuable. Cheers!
I finally understood how the whole film is linked thanks to you
You are very welcome, my friend. Glad the video has been useful to you. Cheers.
Hey, je viens de finir la première partie et je m’apprêtais à regarder la deuxième mais ton travail m’a fais comprendre que mon problème d’incompréhension venait simplement du fait que j’essaye de comprendre le film avec la tête mais pas avec le coeur. Je pense que ce film peut m’apporter un regard plus introspectif et personnel sur le cinéma en général mais je pense que je dois avant ça voir d’autre film de Tarkovsky et du formalisme russe en général. Je reviendrais.. sûrement dans quelques moi si j’ai réussi ma tâche. Je re regarderais mirror et par la suite je finirais cette deuxième partie qui est censé justement me l’expliquer avec le cerveau. Merci pour ton excellent travail
De rien mon ami. J'espère que vous pourrez développer un lien plus personnel avec cette œuvre d'art et l'homme qui se cache derrière. Faites-moi savoir si cela se produit et si vous regardez davantage de ses films. Tous mes vœux.
Congratulations! I can’t wait to watch Part. 3.
Thanks, Cristina!
Thank you for the narrative breakdown, I look forward to part 3
Thank you Benjamin, glad you enjoyed it. Part 3 shall come in a couple of months, surely.
Thank you for your essays. Your really patient and enthusiastic in helping me appreciate Tarkovsky's films even more :)
Glad you have enjoyed my essays and found them useful, Matthias! Cheers.
Finally! I've been patiently waiting for this for weeks
Thank you very much for you interest Ariel, hopefully you have appreciated it.
@@PlanSéquenceFilmArt I have indeed. I especially appreciate how you dive deep into the complexity of each film you undertake analysis, unearthing discreet yet profound themes and symbols, framing each movie within it's historical context and providing artistic and ideological influences that possibly galvanized the artist into creation. Also how you weave it all with incredible eloquence, style, atmosphere and self awareness.
@@arielanez6358 That is incredibly kind of you and it makes me glad beyond words that you've appreciated the strenuous effort I put into these essays. Thank you so very much.
Thank you for a wonderful articulation of the meaning of the film. I also love your separation of the various timelines. Great work!
Glad you have appreciated it, Thomas. Cheers.
These videos are so informative and you explain everything extremely well. Keep up the good work bro you really help me grasp art in a different way.
Thanks mate, I'm sincerely glad you were able to connect personally with this film in a deeper way with my aid. All the best and keep grinding. 💪
Mate, there is a HUGE complexity to this film, one that I've personally and publicly analyzed over the years. Maybe we should have a talk if you're interested.
Contact me on FB if you'd like. Cheers.
@@PlanSéquenceFilmArt Alright, thank you!
A superb analysis of this beautiful film. Looking forward to Part 3. Thank you.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. It shall come in a near future.
Waiting for the part 3! Love this analysis
Thank you very much for you interest, my friend.
Wow. I think I'm ready to rewatch it. Thanks for the video!
No worries. It's certainly worth multiple viewings. Cheers!
Great work my dear keep going
Thank you so much for laying out the plot in such a tiddy and caring manner. May you live forever
Thank you, Juan, for your kind words and appreciation. May you be healthy and fortunate as well!
blessings!
To you as well, my friend!
There is no director i love the most than Tarkovskij and this is my favorite movie of all time and still I think the criticism toward the Soviet production institutions and society are too harsh. He was indeed able to made his own movie while being true with his own vision, in a way that was equally hard to achieve in the capitalist west. Do we believe that directors had it easier under the thumb of western producers which saw movies as just a way to make money? No, countless of directors in the west weren't able to have a say on the final cut of their own movies or weren't able at all to make them (or lose their careers after a movie flop). Other than that at the time in the west movies were often banned or censored by the authorities (for instance in my own country, Italy). What's the difference then? At least the Soviet authorities had something to say in regard to the artistic merit of the movie, they analyzed it through the lens of what they believed was right in a socialist country and, after all let Tarkovskij explain himself and his reasons, and some of them even recognize the value of his work even if it was clearly distant from the Soviet values. Even the fact that the common people of the Soviet Union were able to see such a niche film and even wrote to the director himself ("comrade director!"), seems to me a clear exemple of a society that wasn't so dystopic as many seem to believe. Anyway great analysis and work!
A very balanced and fair perspective, Edoardo. Grazie mille per le tue parole, amico.
facts
Great analysis! I watched the movie recently and this was very helpful. Looking forward to part 3, so I can watch the movie again. I also would love to see you do an analysis of Solaris.
Hey Natália, thanks for your interest, it's satisfying you that you have enjoyed the essay. Perhaps I'll tackle Solaris as well on a later time, since I have referred to it several times before. Cheers!
Great video! Really appreciate the work you put in here!!
Thank you very much for your appreciation, Julien.
Great work. ❤️
Thank you Garis, glad you have enjoyed it.
Very nice video, greatly appreciated. Would like to put my 5 cents here, especially because you asked at the end. What was the reason Maria (mother) was so terrified of possible mistake? She thought that she allowed a typo to go unchecked which was probably an obscene word, that's why she only said it to Liza's ear. In that time, late 30's any inappropriate word in an official book or newspaper, especially if it was about Stalin might have resulted in many years of exile to Siberia or worse. That happened to many people and her fear was absolutely justified.
Another thing I would like to add to your description of the movie that probably only people who lived in that country at 1970's can understand, is about the beginning documentary about healing the stuttering guy. It is very important what the doctor asks him to say: "I can speak!" clear and loud. The film itself starts right after that. It is not difficult to figure out that Tarkovsky wanted to say "you can't stop me, I can speak and this is what I'll say".
Hello my friend Ashot! I am most pleased that you have appreciated the video. You are quite right in your answers, but the reason why I asked those questions was to stimulate the viewer's curiosity, for I already have the answers and intended to provide the them on future videos. For example, I talk about Tarkovsky finding his voice in the next video, when inspecting the opening scene in the video and since I'm following the film as it unfolds, I would eventually get to Maria's scene in the typing office. As you so well explained, her fear derives exactly from that, but there's a curious little detail which adds a touch of humour and eeriness to it as well, which I will explain on an upcoming video. In any case, thanks for engaging with the video and providing commentary, I'm very glad you have enjoyed it. Cheers!
@@PlanSéquenceFilmArt I have to admit that didn't see the next parts. Glad that you came to the same conclusion. I'll watch the rest during this weekend
@@ashotdjrbashian9606 No worries, my friend.
I watched Mirror again last night. Although I've seen it many times I try to resist attempts to explain everything. Is the boy with the stutter Ignat ten years or so later? He looks like him. And the scene at the printing press when Lisa accused Maria of behaving selfishly - the characters she mentions are from Dostoevsky's Demons (of course, Lisa mentions Fyodor Mikhailovich). - Just some thoughts.
Watch the following videos, I talk about the film's opening on Part 3 and will be discussing the scuffle between Lisa and Maria on the upcoming Part 5. Thanks for watching!
Engineers were some of Tarkovsky's biggest fans...
@@Johnconno Engineers, doctors, cleaners, teachers, painters, gravediggers, sportsmen, children... everybody is a Tarkovsky fan!
Thank you for making this series of videos! I’m in love with this film. The black and white archive sequence where it fades from the children in distress to the Russian parachute scene is one of the dreamiest and most mesmerising pieces of film ever, with that beautiful music, but what is that music? I can’t seem to find it, do you know it’s name? Thank you again.
Thank you for your kind appreciation, Ben. Yes indeed, it's a very touching and arresting scene of immense beauty. The song played during that sequence is the "Quando corpus morietur" from the Stabat Mater of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, certainly one of the highest peaks of Western music ever made. I will talk a bit about it in the upcoming part 4. Cheers.
@@PlanSéquenceFilmArt thanks very much, I look forward to that. Your analysis is really fantastic, not only your own personal approach but the research is of such a high level. Thanks again for taking your time to make these.
Your videos are so beautiful.
Merci Philippe, I'm overjoyed that my work has pleased you. Cheers!
Thank you so much! When will you upload part 3?
Thank you for the interest. Until the end of April, I'll be extremely busy with some projects. I expect to be working at it again in May, and possibly have something finished in June. Cheers.
What the song at 11:00?
Please upload part 3 asap.
It will come eventually, don't worry. I'm currently working on it. Cheers and thanks for the interest.
@@PlanSéquenceFilmArt I admire your work.
@@raviraviravi3491 Thanks, glad you have found my work engaging and of use.
Hey Appreciate the effort!! But the background music is way louder than you that’s its nearly impossible to hear u
Hey Kidus, thanks! I've struggled with sound mixing a couple of times, I'm just an amateur. I would advise you to turn on the English subtitles, I've uploaded them to help in these sorts of instances. Hopefully the later parts came out with a better mixing. Cheers!
Background music name ?
its called, way too loud
You should do Ivan's Childhood next. It's my favorite Tarkovsky movie. What do you think about it?
I think it's one of the most stunning debuts in the history of cinema. While I absolutely love it and think of it as a brilliant piece of cinema, at the same time I recognise that Tarkovsky's vision or at least the fully-blossomed and mature language which he developed later on is only partially present. In that sense, perhaps I find some of his later works a tiny little bit more fulfilling, but I find Ivan's Childood an astounding film nonetheless. Thanks for stopping by, cheers!
I'm not sure why Andrei chose to make it difficult for the audience to tell between different timelines? He used the same actors for different characters of different timelines and for me, I was really confused as who is who, and when is when. And I never realized the black and white portions are supposed to be the dreams? But you said one of the black and white sequences was not a dream (the mothers typo sequence). So what was Andrei's reasoning to make some shots black and white and some color? If it wasn't for your video, I would probably NEVER understand which sequences are from the past, which from now, which are dreams, which are real. So why did he make it so confusing?
Hi there! I understand you might not have checked the following videos and I may not have had the chance to develop some points further, but your questions are legitimate and meaningful. To put it simply, Andrei, as he explains in his book "Scultping in Time", has found that this mosaic-shaped film structure allowed for the spectator to immerse himself in it regardless of his social status, nationality, age, etc. The dream imagery and oneiric atmosphere in which time and space is discontinued and characters acquire a sort of shapeshifting aspect, appeals to something that all people share and in that sense, ideas and emotions float and are shared unrestrainedly between artist and spectator, in a creative, liberating and very personal experience. Moreover, Tarkovsky had technical limitations and he took advantage of that in order to convey the lyrical and multimode world seen in Mirror. That specific sequence I mentioned was one example in which no colour film stock was available. Hope this helped and I'll try to make this idea come across more clearly in future videos if I can. Cheers.
@@PlanSéquenceFilmArt thank you for the quick reply, and also for the great videos. I've watched all 3 videos now. But now I need to rewatch Mirror again.
I'm trying to learn more about his works and will be watching Nostalghia too, and will check your videos on that film. I'm also reading his book at the same time hoping to get a better insight.
He read Freud
I wouldn't be surprised, Andrei was a well-read man, but it does seem that his approach sometimes is rather more Jungian than Freudian. Cheers.
The Maoist reference seems totally out of left field. Looking forward to your thoughts on that.
Thanks for the interest, Steve O. The historical footage in general will be examined with a bit more detail probably on the upcoming part 3. Cheers.
In 1968 there was a big dispute between China and USSR over a tiny island called Damansky in the middle of the Amur river separating countries. It resulted in complete deterioration of relations between two countries for many years, and to resolve the problem Russians just blew up the island and it ceased to exist. The scenes in the film involving soldiers are from there. In bigger context, Tarkovsky was just trying to show what fanaticism and cult of personality (in this case Mao) can do with people. Most likely he was hinting also indirectly about the history of his country and the cult of Stalin
The most i have learned from film criticism is that critics are way more pretentious than the actual filmmakers.
Yes, unfortunately that is quite common, for critics tend to be rather forceful in their qualitative judgements and often base their assumptions on a limited understanding of a work. I find it much more interesting when they display an attempt to connect with the artist and to develop a dialogue, instead of merely evaluating works from a aesthetic or technical point of view.
Well this explication [won't call it analysis which Tarkovsky eschews, at least while one views the film]
is indeed a helpful assist. A second and third viewing will thus be more comprehensible beyond the
art and feeling of the images. The timeline chart belies analysis aiding understanding, almost like a
story board for movies [whether such are still used in the digital age, don't know]. I wonder if Tarkovsky
availed himself of such a chart to try to keep things ordered in his own mind and in production and
direction, and who knows about editing the film. The idea that Russians -- because of their special
culture and history -- perceive reality differently, is of interest to me. Russia had skipped the Liberal
revolution to some extent -- or so I think -- going from emancipation of serfs to collectivization in 56
years. Industrialization occurred albeit capitalism may have remained with the aristocracy without
much development of a middle class, or so I suspect. I could be wrong as bourgeoise was seen as
the enemy of the proletariat. Russian culture was continuous, though the Mongols and Tatars may
have paused the movement of Russian culture for very long periods of time. Contrast with European
immigrant culture to the New World, which after a few generations and by the 1970's became centered
on individualism as culture; whereas society was experienced different I suppose in the Soviet period.
Well anyhow, I digress. If the Soviets lost the ideological war Capitalism in the US claims to have won --
Russia may yet win the culture and social war provided they do not import too much from the West.
The US as capitol of Western Civ, is decadent; society is failing in more ways than one. The blue
collar class was suicided when capitalists and corporations sent factories and jobs to China & Mexico,
and then opened the floodgates to mass immigration from the 'new South' beginning in 1965 with
the Jacob Javits immigration bill. Politics no longer determined people's fates, now it's determined
by the new power of financialists and oligarchs. What this has to do with Tarkovsky is like his Mirror,
i.e. you figure it out! Haha!
Hey Rocky, glad this video prompted another comprehensive reply by you. If you have found the video to be helpful in any way, then I guess its goal was achieved. Thanks for the interest and commentary.
@@PlanSéquenceFilmArt Yes, the videos are
more than helpful enabling me to gain
more insight into perception of ideas
and existential reality, whether a renascence of Dostoevsky or some
glimpse or part of revelation to come.
As Descartes was to the Middle ages --
though 1350 to 1650 had its humanist
reforms -- so our 3rd millennium A.D.
needs a new revelation, as things are
in some growing crisis circumstances,
while we begin to see hint of collapse
or leveling, or so I think.
@@rockyfjord3753 I definitely agree, if not a revelation or revolution, at least a more profound understanding of art in general terms, its potentialities and capacity to convey unspeakable emotions and truths, a concept that unfortunately is unheard of for much of the materialistic and consume-addicted civilization.
For when is the part 3?
As I shared with other viewers, I've been extremely busy the past couple of months, but part 3 is currently being written. Thanks for the interest.
These 'Commitees' really went to town on Tarkovsky, deliberately misunderstanding his films. Their criticism of Nostalgia is especially laughable.
Indeed, Jaye See. Unfortunately, that's one of the secondary effects of working as an artist in an authoritarian nation with more interest in serving propaganda and soulless products to the masses.
Amerika?
@@Johnconno Even in the USA one was not exempt from certain creative limitations and pushback if the focus was not on profit, for example. Even though there were arguably a lot more personal liberties, from a film-industry perspective, production companies and individual producers often enforced despotic control over artists with other concerns beyond moneymaking.
This is just a recap of the plot
This is an accessible presentation of Zerkalo's plot, one which incidentally is notorious for its elusiveness and enigmatic nature, although it occasionally hints at the purpose or significance of some of its scenes. Each video in this series is dedicated to a specific aspect of the film, and the upcoming parts will feature an in-depth focus on the meaning of some of its episodes, and aesthetic principles, successively. In the meantime, feel free to watch Part 1, which provides an historical context that already sheds some light as well on its kaleidoscopic structure.