Nostalgia

A meditative study on art, religion, and life - Andrei Tarkovsky’s Nostalgia might be one of his most personal films, and undoubtedly another great entry in one of the most impressive repertoires of film from a director.  It’s perhaps best compared to his earlier film Mirror in its subjective nature and focus on the past. But where Mirror is a dive into the soul through dreams and memories, Nostalgia portrays the distortion of said soul through the loss of home. It’s somber, being instilled with a deep sense of longing.  Tarkovsky’s personal life clearly bleeds through in Nostalgia. He had just left The Soviet Union never to return, much like the film’s protagonist. But nonetheless the notion of missing home is a prevalent feeling that most people can sympathize with to some extent. And perhaps that’s why Nostalgia delivers such an affecting experience. Tarkovsky pours his heart into the film with his personal struggles and beliefs shining through, but the film transcends its maker, creating a universal experience.  It had been years since I last saw Nostalgia, but it’s only grown more poignant since I moved away from home. Hopefully it won’t be as long before I see it again.