The film showing the inner history of creating the cinematic masterpieces: The Mirror and Stalker is a great occasion for those who love Andrei Tarkovsky, cinematography and Russian nature. With never-published materials and dozens of interviews, Igor Maiboroda explores unknown facts and shows the surprising face of Tarkovsky. The film is not (only?) an attempt to demythologise the beloved genius, but it also presents Tarkovsky as a man with all human weaknesses. But Maiboroda's main goal is to bring the excellent cinematographer Georgi Rerberg back to the collective memory of cinema lovers. Rerberg came from an artistic family, being a relative of the cellist Rostropovich (see: Elegy of Life by Sokurov) and he was adored by the conductor Mravinsky. Reconstruction of the confrontation between the two great personalities and artistic visions, which occurred while shooting the Stalker offered Maiboroda an opportunity to explore the very essence of creation. The director subtly questions the witnesses (e.g. Mikhalkov, Wójcik, Nykvist), without any haste he circles around events and accounts, he comes back, reminds and repeats. The Reverse Side of Stalker is a lesson of great cinema and a fascinating, almost investigation-styled reconstruction of the past.
Jan Topolski
direction: Igor Majboroda
country / year of production: Rosja / 2009acknowledgements: Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty