The Mirror (1975)

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Honestly I want to know if there's a fan of this movie or someone that can explain it to me. I just finished it and I didn't understand a single thing in that movie. I guess it's a guy who will die soon who tell us his life, but other than that I really didn't get it. There certainly is a reason for it's reputation so if someone could tell it to me I'd appreciate it!
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I do not speak english perfectly so expect some mistakes here and there in my messages



The Mirror was not conceived as a conventional linear narrative film. Tarkovsky's film is essentially made up of memories of the main character arrayed like a dream. It reflects the historical experiences of Russia during the mid 20th century, it's social problems (such as the scene where that the woman representing the main characters wife is working at the press almost loses her neck due to a mistake in the printing of newspaper, reflecting the totalitarian political nature of the Soviet regime, or the experience of war) and the main character is Tarkovsky's own persona reflecting in his life. For instance, the bucolic imagery of that farmhouse represents Tarkovsky's childhood home and the scene of the woman character representing the main character's mother (played by the same actress as the main character's wife on the scenes set in the 1960's and 1970's) waiting while sitting on the logs is Tarkovsky's childhood memories of awaiting for his father to return from the war.

Overall, it's certainly among the best movies I ever watched and my personal favorite non-linear narrative movie.



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
The Mirror is f**king metal!
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.



After watching it, critics started to argue about it, trying to find the hidden meaning and make sense of what they just saw. It went on and on until the cleaning lady who came to the screening room and had been waiting for the end of discussion to do her job, asked them for how long they would stay? Someone said to her that they were discussing a very complicated film, and they needed time to understand it. Cleaning lady asked, "What is that you do not understand in this film? I saw it also, and I understood everything." Critics were silenced for a moment, and then, one of them asked the woman to share her thoughts on Zerkalo. She answered, "It is about a man who had caused too much pain to the ones whom he loved and who loved him. Now he is dying and he is trying to ask them for forgiveness but he does not know how." After the pause Tarkovsky said that he had nothing else to add about his film to what the cleaning lady had to say.