Collection of films directed by accled Russian film-maker,
Andrei Tarkovsky. 'Ivan's Childhood' (1962) explores the life of
a 12-year-old boy, Ivan (Nikolai Burlyayev), who is orphaned
after his family are killed by the Nazis during the Second World
War. He later joins a partisan group who use his diminutive
stature and agility to gather intelligence. Worried about his
safety, his commanders take Ivan away from the front line but the
boy, hell-bent on getting revenge for his parents' murder,
insists on being given more dangerous assignments, with tragic
consequences. 'Andrei Rublev' (1966) is an epic historical drama
about the life of 15th-century icon painter Andrei Rublev. Rublev
(Anatoli Solonitsyn) lives in a world consumed by feudal violence
and human degradation, and the turmoil he sees all about him
makes him lose the will to speak. After many years of silent
travelling around medieval Russia, he meets a young boy who has
taken charge of the construction of a large silver bell, and in
him discovers the inspiration to speak again. 'Mirror' (1975)
draws on episodes from Tarkovsky's own life and tells the story
of a dying man reflecting on his relationships with his parents,
wife and son. The narrative includes a number of reflections on
the Russian people and their history, using the life of one man
to consider the Russian experience from the Second World War
through to the end of the Stalinist period. The psychological
drama 'Solaris' (1972) charts the strange events which befall a
group of young cosmonauts who work on a space station orbiting
the ocean-covered planet Solaris. Fellow cosmonaut Chris Kelvin
(Donatas Banionis) is sent to investigate the occurrences, and
soon begins encountering a variety of supernatural phenomena,
including the physical manifestation of his own painful memories
of his late wife. Kelvin tries to get to the bottom of the
mystery and begins looking for a way to communicate with the
powerful forces of Solaris. In the sci-fi drama 'Stalker' (1979)
two men who are led to their innermost dreams in a strange place
once inhabited by aliens. A Stalker (Aleksandr Kaidanovsky) leads
writer Pisatel (Solonitsyn) and a Professor (Nikolai Grinko)
through an industrial wasteland called the Zone, in search of a
room where truth is contained and wishes are said to be granted
to anyone who enters. As the area has been sealed off by the
government, the pair put their faith in the Stalker as he
navigates his way through the Zone and along the way they each
discuss their reasons for visiting the room. In 'Nostalgia'
(1983), set in the Tuscan hills, Russian poet Andrei Gorchakov
(Oleg Yankovsky) is researching the life of an 18th century
composer when he meets a mysterious man named Domenico (Erland
Josephson) who is convinced that the end of the world is nigh.
Once Domenico leaves the village he asks Andrei to cross an
ancient mineral pool carrying his lighted candle as an act of
faith. Finally, in Tarkovsky's final film, 'The Sacrifice'
(1986), on an isolated Swedish island, Alexander (Josephson), his
wife Adelaide (Susan Fleetwood), their two children, and various
eccentric friends gather around a radio to hear the impending
announcement of nuclear war. Alexander attempts to strike a deal
with God and is willing to sacrifice everything, including his
six-year-old son Gossen (Tommy Kjellqvist), in order to avert the
war and mankind's annihilation.