Stalker

I was expecting so much more from this film, but honestly, I didn’t enjoy it as much as a lot of other people do. Firstly, I did enjoy the stunning cinematography and the solid acting. I thought it was really cool and somewhat eerie how there was little music throughout the film and I loved the plot and the journey to The Zone. However, this movie was way too long in my opinion and I got quite bored watching it. I hate using that word, but I abhorred how long it felt to get through this film, it truly felt like an eternity. I really respect this movie though and I think it’s really really really good, but it’s just not for me. I don’t think I quite grasped what everybody else seems to see in this film, I feel like I’m missing something and I desperately want to know what it is I’m missing. I think it had some very interesting things to say about life, especially this quote: “You put your heart and soul into your work and they devour you. They even devour the filth in your soul.” Speaking of filth, this movie made me feel absolutely disgusting. I don’t know if that’s what Tarkovsky was going for, but seeing all that pollution in the air, that nasty water, hearing those somewhat disgusting sound effects, and a number of other things made me feel terribly uncomfortable and gross. The environment truly looked like a nuclear wasteland, it was creepy. Also, I was sweating so much during this movie, it honestly made me super stressed and I don’t think I have it in me to watch this again. Perhaps one day I will, but boy oh boy this was not a pleasant watch for me whatsoever.