The Mirror

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The Mirror

Released Jan 1, 1975

1h 48m

Drama

Biography

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28 Reviews

91%

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5,000+ Ratings

Using a nonlinear structure interlaced with dreams and flashbacks, director Andrei Tarkovsky creates a stream-of-consciousness meditation on war, memory and time that draws heavily on events from his own life. Tarkovsky's film alter ego is Alexei (Ignat Daniltsev), a dying man in his 40s whose commonplace interactions with his wife (Margarita Terekhova) and children summon up a host of memories, ranging from his parents' divorce to his time on the battlefields of World War II.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

Tarkovsky exhibits an unmatched ability to transform the mundane into the miraculous.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 12, 2023

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Kate Muir

Times (UK)

The Mirror deserves a big-screen viewing, with its smorgasbord of memories in dream, drama and newsreel form from the life of a dying poet.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 15, 2015

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Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

The smallest details (a stammering child, the wrinkle in the turned page of a book) stick like burrs, and we are left to wonder if any director has delved with more modesty and honesty into the heartbreak of the past.

Aug 4, 2015

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Brendan Cassidy

InSession Film

The Mirror is a masterwork of personal storytelling...

Rated: B+

Jun 18, 2024

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Dave Giannini

InSession Film

Tarkovsky's most difficult, and possible, most personal work.

Rated: A

Feb 28, 2024

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...offers mesmerizing moments when something indefinable penetrates the mundanity.

Rated: 4/4

Apr 28, 2023

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Dušan A

Some memorable shots and bits of poetry, but otherwise did not speak to me

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/18/24

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Mason M

What seems to be a disjointed exploration of a man's life through his scattered memories, may be difficult to understand or connect to, but was still an interesting film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/09/24

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Michael F

Andrei Tarkovsky’s "Mirror" stands as a poetic and introspective exploration of memory and history, defying traditional narrative structure and telling the story with a stream-of-consciousness approach that resembles the workings of the human mind. Many believe that the director intentionally uses recurring motifs such as mirrors, which symbolize self-reflection, to convey deeper meanings. However, Tarkovsky himself states that no symbols are present in this particular film, and all scenes are identically rebuilt from his own memories and dreams. Besides, the camerawork in the film put the audience into the director’s mind with an extremely subjective point of view, leading us into a world of haziness with distinct emotions. Overall, Mirror is a film that demands attention and contemplation, rewarding patient audiences with a profound emotional and intellectual experience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/25/24

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Alejandro E

Like Swedish cinema, this example of Soviet cinema is built on symbolism. Example? That we are the mirror of other individuals, and vice versa. The fact that it is difficult to digest does not prevent you from savoring it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/26/24

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Anne D

One word : masterpiece

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

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Suruga D

realy good cinematography, but to hard to understand

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

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Andrei Tarkovsky

Director

Margarita Terekhova

Mother

Anatoliy Solonitsyn

Forensic doctor

Nikolay Grinko

Director of printery

Ignat Daniltsev

Aleksei, age 12

Filipp Yankovsky

Aleksei, age 5

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Synopsis

Using a nonlinear structure interlaced with dreams and flashbacks, director Andrei Tarkovsky creates a stream-of-consciousness meditation on war, memory and time that draws heavily on events from his own life. Tarkovsky's film alter ego is Alexei (Ignat Daniltsev), a dying man in his 40s whose commonplace interactions with his wife (Margarita Terekhova) and children summon up a host of memories, ranging from his parents' divorce to his time on the battlefields of World War II.

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Producer: Erik Waisberg
Screenwriter: Andrei Tarkovsky, Aleksandr Misharin
Production Co: Mosfilm Unit 4, Doco Digital
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 2, 2009
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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