Noir Films’ Pick of the Week

This week, Noir Films is proud to recommend Andrei Tarkovksy’s masterpiece “Stalker” This isn’t an easy movie to describe, and nor is it one to watch casually. When experiencing this film expect to be like the deep sea diver delving slowly and in metronomic fashion into the depths of the human soul. It’s a long, arduous journey for which a pilgrim is well rewarded for undertaking.

The film features three characters, the archetype of a scientist, artist, and monk, who travel into a forbidden area called The Zone which is supposed to have the ability to fulfill one’s innermost desires. How does The Zone accomplish this? What mysteries await the protagonists in The Zone? That’s difficult to explain, and is one of the things that makes this film such a work of genius. You, along with the characters exploring The Zone, are never quite sure what’s really going on. You have a few breadcrumbs, a hunch or two, but that’s it.  In the end what we have is a perfect metaphor for our own quest for understanding of self, of purpose, and of meaning. What’s in The Zone? As Yoda said to Luke: only what you take with you.

Trust me. You’ll love it.