Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union, 1979, 161’, OV with Spanish subtitles
A masterpiece, one of the most important films in the history of cinema. What else can we say at this stage about this science fiction classic of Russian master Tarkovski?
Let’s recall the story: there is a remote place where, they say, a meteorite exploded years ago. Since then, human access to that place is prohibited, and controlled by the military, although there are guides – called “stalkers” – who dare take people to that place known as The Zone. The film tells the story of the journey of three men to that post-apocalyptic setting, since legend has it that in that place there is a room which has the power to make people’s deepest desires come true. Eric Baudelaire has said on many occasions how fascinated he is by this film; he has also spoken, most of all, of its visual, landscape and conceptual connection with his own work, Letters to Max: “In many ways, Abjasia is the Zone: a place you want to get to in order to fulfil your dreams. But at the same time, a place that’s impossible to reach, a space that entails a new relationship with history, with time and space.”
A masterpiece, one of the most important films in the history of cinema. What else can we say at this stage about this science fiction classic of Russian master Tarkovski?