Mirror (1975) film review - Tarkovsky’s most personal creation explained

★★★★★

‘Mirror’ is an experimental art drama that combines childhood memories, poetry, dream sequences, and flashbacks to create a transcendent experience.

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky Starring: Filipp Yankovsky, Ignat Daniltsev, Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Margarita Terekhova. U cert, 106 min.

‘The Mirror,’ otherwise known as 'Zerkalo’ (Зеркало) in Russian, is an experimental art drama considered to be one of Andrei Tarkovsky’s most personal films. Childhood memories, poetry, dream sequences, and flashbacks are entwined together to produce a transcendent experience that encapsulates spectacularly a man’s reflection on his own life. ‘Mirror’ can perhaps best be described as the stream of consciousness of Alexei, a 40-year-old dying man. Alexei’s thoughts, emotions, desires and memories are portrayed to us in an abstract, often confused structure wherein we see his interactions with his Mother, wife, and son at different stages of his life. However, more importantly, 'Mirror’ depicts certain feelings in a way that is visually exceptional and uniquely moving, regardless of whether the exact narrative is understood or not. 

‘Mirror’ (1975) film poster artwork

A deeper look at Tarkovsky’s most personal film

Janus Films are in the process of producing a 4K restoration of Tarkovsky’s ‘Mirror,’ which is available to watch from 29/01/2021. As a result of this, ‘Mirror’ is highly anticipated to be the next Tarkovsky film to receive a Criterion release. In light of this information, I thought I would share some of my own thoughts on this exquisitely introspective film, which has the fascinating ability to induce in its viewer a strange combination of nostalgia and pensiveness.

As Tarkovsky’s most personal film, ‘Mirror’ is best understood through a deeper look at the director himself. All scenes in the film are snapshots from Tarkovksy’s life, so the film is incredibly autobiographical in that sense. The only ‘imagined’ aspect of ‘Mirror’ is the illness of the narrator, Alexei. Tarkovsky states that ‘the only invented episode turns out to be a necessary prerequisite for other, completely true recollections.’ In other words, it was necessary to have the narrator, Tarkovsky’s alter-ego, be severely ill so he would be forced to reflect on his life and come to certain realizations through that reflection. 

The outstanding quality that ‘Mirror’ possesses is its ability to be oddly comprehensible and universal, whilst also retaining a certain privacy. This privacy is achieved through Tarkovsky’s artistic integrity and generosity in sharing with us the formative moments of his life. That so many people are able to relate and even empathize with such abstractly presented memories and musings is no doubt testament to Tarkovsky’s indelible ability to communicate the incommunicable. Regret, love, despondency, and yearning are feelings not easily put into words; but for me, Tarkovsky was able to capture and reproduce them exactly. As poetic and stunning as it is melancholic, ‘Mirror’ is a film that rejects logic and embraces the ethereal, intangible aspects of life. 

Motherhood and femininity in ‘Mirror’

A key aspect of ‘Mirror’ is Tarkovsky’s relationship with his Mother and wife, both of whom are played by Margarita Terekhova. Alexei, the narrator, comments at one point in the film that when reminiscing about his Mother, the resemblance she shares with his wife is uncanny. As ‘Mirror’ flits between pre-war, wartime, and post-war Russia, the focus overwhelmingly remains on these two figures, who become almost indistinguishable from each other. Though the narrator of ‘Mirror’ is a man, he is just that; a narrator, who is seen only briefly throughout the entire film. Tarkovsky’s own Father Arseny Tarkovsky plays a similar role, narrating the poetry that occurs over imagery of Andrei’s childhood home, as a result tinting it with the nostalgia of familial intimacy. 

Because of this, to me, ‘Mirror’ is an overridingly feminine piece. This is emphasized by Tarkovsky’s Mother’s appearance in the film. Playing the role of Ignat’s Grandmother, she appears at the door and remarks “Oh, I think I’ve got the wrong place.” Following this exchange, she promptly leaves. Tarkovsky himself has expressed confusion at his inclusion of this scene. He stated: 

“This is my mother. And she is the grandmother of this boy who opens the door for her. But why doesn’t she recognise him, why doesn’t the grandson recognise her? — one has completely no idea.” 

As a film predominantly about perception, memory, and emotion, I believe Tarkovsky is exploring the bonds that tie him to various women and motherly figures in his life. This can be understood through the film’s title. Mirrors feature heavily throughout the film, but display not Alexei, our narrator, but the various figures entwined within his life. This suggests that a man’s life is not his own, but a culmination of the individuals he is influenced by and has influence over. The emphasis on motherhood therefore displays the importance of women in Tarkovsky’s life, and perhaps is what provides ‘Mirror’ with its widespread emotional appeal. 

Otherworldly cinematography

The cinematography in ‘Mirror’ is nothing short of stunning. Flitting, like ‘Stalker,’ between black and white and vibrant colour, the experience of watching Tarkovsky is always one that takes on an otherworldly quality. ‘Mirror’ is no different. Long, drawn-out scenes depict Tarkovsky’s childhood haunts as his Father reads his poetry aloud. Equally intimate scenes depict Tarkovsky’s Mother washing her hair in a trance-like state or viewing her reflection in some glass. All of this is stunningly shot and never mundane, as each sequence adds to a larger motif that combines the past, present, and future in an incredibly compelling manner. 

Should you watch this before you die?

Overall, ‘Mirror’ is a beautiful, understated, but powerful film that has garnered a large cult following in recent years. It ranked nineteenth in Sight & Sound's 2012 critics' poll of the best films ever made, and understandably so; when watching it, one finds oneself in a state of reverie that is difficult to come by. It is also my favourite Tarkovsky film thus far. It is not necessarily an easy watch and at times the jumping between different timelines can be confusing, but through multiple viewings the many complex layers of ‘Mirror’ reveal themselves, creating an experience that is truly one of a kind.