Andrei Rublev

Second Tarkovsky movie ever (first was Stalker) and I REALLY like this one. It seems to follow the life of a real life Russian painter Andrei Rublev (not sure about historical accuracy, I am no Russian historian). It is not as visually gorgeous as Stalker but this was one of his earlier movies. Not to say there aren't some really cool shots, in the scenes where they were wandering around in the woods looked amazing. Especially the scenes where stuff dissipates into the water. Really does remind me of some nature Stalker scenes. I am doing this comparison because it is cool to see how a director evolves over time. I am not saying Andrei Roublev isn't gorgeous either. The story takes a bit to get into I feel like, I understand that Tarkovsky isn't for everyone. But, I think if you give it a chance you'll recognize how goated it is. I don't think I got/understood everything on my first watch, so I am excited to see it again in the future to really get it. But I think it is showing how hard it is to be religious and an artist and how important religion is. Tarkovsky was very religious, he was Russian Orthodox I think. I also like the interpretation that it is about holding onto your beliefs (religious or otherwise) in times of turmoil. That is probably the one I will choose to go with anyway. When this movie was being made the USSR suppressed religion and discriminated against religious people. Similarly, in the movie Andrei Roublev is a painter who is constantly getting persecuted by non believers, but still maintains his faith and love for art. There are some themes that I probably won't understand because I am not Russian. This could probably be seen as a cautionary tale for the USSR while also showing what makes Russian culture so special as a country. But I am American, so I really would not understand as much. Maybe looking for meaning in this movie is pointless. I don't know, Tarkovsky was probably a lot smarter than me. It kind of makes me want to research more russian history just so I can understand his works better. Is the USSR propaganda working? I am really liking Tarkovsky's movies so far, they're grand and beautiful but also personal. Maybe I am glazing too much.