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The Unknown

The Return is a fantastic film. It has a great plot, the speed of the film is good, and the cinematography is great. There are a lot of Tarkovsky visual quotes in this film, for example, the dripping water, lakes in general, fire, mirrors, wind, and the cinematography. The film starts with a shot of the water, which is how the father eventually disappears. Many shots are shown through the point of view of Ivan. When Ivan is looking through the binoculars, the camera shakes as if we are the ones holding the binoculars. As I mentioned, the father eventually sinks into the water, but I felt that throughout this film, the father is represented by rainstorms. The rainstorms start once he arrives and the last one we hear starting is when the boys drive away from where the father sank. I feel that this is symbolic of how the father was just a burden on the family and was preventing them from being complete. The film overall is very anxiety inducing and leaves you uncomfortable in your seat, ...
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Ivan's Adulthood

Ivan's Childhood is a very interesting film. It is Tarkovsky's first full feature film, and like his others, is jam-packed with symbolism and cinematography. This movie starts in a dream. The first thing that we see is Ivan's face. He starts to run around and we see a deer and a butterfly and he begins to fly. I believe that this is symbolic of his innocence. He then lands and is lost for a moment, when he finds his mother by a well. They laugh together until we hear an explosion and his mother's face becomes afraid. I feel that beginning the whole movie with this dream is very symbolic of Ivan's innocence and how it is taken away. It is an excellent way to show us that Ivan is no longer a child. The dream then cuts to Ivan crawling through water until he is swimming through a river. Water is constantly present in this film. We next see Ivan being brought into a room because he is  caught. I think that this scene is very interesting because we do not get to see any...
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Brotherly Love

The film Brother  is a very interesting film. It is definitely one of my favorites. The movie tracks the young man Danila in his journey through St. Petersburg. Danila is my favorite character in this movie. He is very strong from the beginning and he is not afraid to ask for what he wants. He is a very daring character, and I think that he is glad that he didn't see violence when he was working in the army, but he definitely does not have a problem with violence. He seems to know what he is doing right away. As soon as he starts working with his brother, he is making decisions on his own and killing people to protect himself. He is also very smart. He thinks ahead and knows what to do. He plans very well. His relationships are very important in this film. He doesn't really have a deep relationship with his mother. We only see her at the beginning of the film, where we then see her tell Danila that she wishes he were more like his brother, and then she is mentioned only a few ...
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Growing Vera

The movie Little Vera  is a very interesting film. I liked how it showcased the common life, not the extravagant and rich life, of Russia. The film is very different from the previous ones that we have seen. It shows things for what they truly are and does not romanticize them or make them seem they are better. The only places that are shown are run down and dirty but they are all made out to be normal and a home to those living there. The apartments in this film are not as fancy and well made as the ones in Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears . They are much smaller and much more lived in. The main character in this film is Vera and the story goes through a small portion of her life. Vera is a very strong person and though her life has been hard, she keeps going. Her father is an alcoholic and she still takes care of him even after he just yelled at her. She truly loves him. Her mother is gentle but she is not afraid to be bold. Her brother Viktor is a coward at times, but in the e...
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Moscow Believes in Women

I really liked this film. This film is very women-centric and all of the women in this film are very strong and have very prominent personalities. Right from the beginning we are focusing on women and about their stories. Lyuda is definitely in Moscow to pursue romance. However, she still has a very strong personality. She is bold in her words and she isn't afraid to lie. Tonya is in Moscow, it seems, to work and receive money. Tonya does start out with a boyfriend and obviously cares for him a lot. She is very gentle and caring. Katya is my favorite. She is strong and unapologetic. She is in Moscow to work and find a better life. All three of these girls are friends from the beginning and stay friends and take care of each other. I love how Tonya and Lyuda both come to take care of Katya when she is upset. I really appreciate the strong friendship between these three ladies. The men in this story have strong personalities as well. Tonya's boyfriend, Kolya, is really nice and ...
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Actual Realism

I thought that this film was very interesting.  The film portrays the role of soldiers very well. It shows, as well, how little time soldiers of this time period got to spend with their families. I think that this film has a good plot and the music really helps back up the film. I really liked the relationships between the characters in this film. Alyosha loved his mother so much that he turned down a promotion just so he could see her. He also loves helping people in need. He gets all of the people out of the train that's on fire. He goes through a lot of trouble to get home, when he easily could have given up. His perseverance is what leads the whole film. This film is very different from all of its genres. This is a war film, but it shows very little actual battle. There are only two scenes that I remember seeing that showed actual violence and warfare. This film is also a romance, but they don't end up together in the end. Overall I really enjoyed this film. I didn't ...
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The Ghost in the Mirror

The Russian film Mirror , directed by Andrey Tarkovsky, is a very interesting film. It seems as if everything in the film is completely random. But as you go throughout the film, you see many patterns and similarities. This movie is about, it seems, a woman and her family. A couple things that I was confused about was the fact that there were two characters that looked the same but were not. At one point the son says that whenever he remembers his mom he imagines her because they are so much alike. I believe that is why you see two different women as the little boy's mom. You also see the younger woman look into the mirror and the older woman looks back. Another interesting thing that I noticed was that you never get to see the son's face when he grows up. You get to hear his voice and see him as a child but when he is grown up it's as if we are seeing the film from his point of view. Another interesting thing that in the movie was the ghost like people and the house that ...
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