Search for Faith
Maybe you know it yourself, the so-called "Hour of the Wolf", defined in my favorite Sci-Fi series Babylon 5 as follows:
"My father taught me about it. It's the time between three and four in the morning. You can't sleep and all you can see is the troubles, and the problems, and the ways that your life should have gone, but didn't. All you can hear is the sound of your own heart. At times like this, my father used to take one large glass of vodka before bed, to keep the wolf away he said. Then he would take three very small drinks of vodka, just in case she had cubs while she was waiting outside."

I think we all have hours like these, maybe at a different time as the one mentioned above, but nevertheless. When in such moments hope seems far off and the beating of your heart is not the knock on a door that is opened as a result offering a new perspective, no, if all doors remain closed and the wolf has not left your house for a long time, wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a place, where hope is reborn and wishes fulfilled?
You say, there is no such place, but there is. You have to go to a place in Russia, strictly off limits to anyone, guarded on the periphery by soldiers, in short almost impossible to get to.
In all likelihood you'll give up on the plan, already ridiculed by friends and acquaintances, since there's no way to get past the soldiers, the road blocks and even if you do succeed, where exactly do you go, because there are no maps of this area where the house is supposed to be located where hope lost can be found again.

That is, unless you know a guide, who knows how to get around the obstacles ... his name is Stalker and the area ominously known as "The Zone" he knows like his back pocket. It's the place where he is happy and where each time he makes the trip puts his life at risk.
We get to know his most recent companions in this Tarkovsky masterpiece as a burnt out and cynical writer and a scientist who seems extremely focused on his backpack. Stalker informs them that the Zone has its own laws and you can't get from A to B in a straight line or the Zone will punish you and therefore Stalker uses screws tied to handkerchiefs and throws them haphazardly and wherever it lands, that's their next destination.
What follows is a surreal and philosophical journey to the deepest truth to each of the three men, who are , every one for his own reasons, men without hope, that desperately need to find the Room to find an answer to their desperation.
It will turn out to be Stalker's most difficult journey, which as never before will put to the test the meaning of his endeavors to the Zone as to his entire existence.
The movie Stalker is a work of art difficult to put into words. It is a journey, an exploration of the deepest layers of your being, with half the time not even knowing exactly why. If you allow the movie to take you along, you will experience a journey that is unique which will confront you with difficult questions like the ancient one concerning the meaning of life or whether science has impoverished us to such a degree that the sound of wind in the trees and grass dancing to its rhythm will not make us stop in breathless expectation and that maybe hopelessness has already spread so widely, that the well of wishes has dried up long ago.
The images are of a unique beauty and visual poetry unequalled, supported by the intriguing electronic music of Artemyev (who also wrote the music to Tarkovsky's "Solyaris").
Kaidanowsky as the title character is amazing to look at and the Zone itself will bind you in its spell and make an indelible impression.

A journey between black and white and color, science and nature, fear and hope.

See it ... NOW!

Good
Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 film Stalker () is not the great nor masterful film its most ardent critical supporters proclaim, nor is it the slow, boring Eurotrash that its most vocal critics counterclaim. It lies somewhere in between- a film that risks and occasionally fails, although it is far closer to greatness than trash. That's because Tarkovsky has crafted a film of unusual visuals with even more unusual power. There are scenes that recall the old telefilm The Lathe Of Heaven, released the same year as this film, 1979; Carl Theodor Dreyer's great Vampyr, in its use of shadows and fog; the 1976 sci fi classic Logan's Run, in that the three leads of the film are running away from their society; Tarkovsky's earlier Solaris, in its mix of color and sepia images; and, most of all, with Alex Proyas' 1998 sci fi classic Dark City, which, like Stalker, creates a wholly believable alternate world unlike any other put on screen. Visually, Stalker most reminds me of the human portraits of the great Austrian painter Egon Schiele, with its myriad of gaunt, pallid, balding, dirty, twisted characters.
But, as in most Tarkovsky films, it is not the visuals that dominate, rather the philosophic depth of the characters. What they don't say or dream is almost always as important as what they do say and dream. Stalker succeeds because its ellipses are more brilliant than its fodder. Stalker misses greatness, however, because its fodder some times fails.... Of course, there are the usual misreadings by critics, who praise the very things that do not work- like the ending, or imbue their own interpretations of Stalker as a Christ-like figure (his being a religious character makes him no stand-in for a religious figure), when the film is surprisingly shorn of any religious mumbo jumbo (humanist philosophy and religion are not analogues), and the three lead characters are in no way merely symbols- of Christian Wise Men, the Trinity, nor any tripartite invocation. Do they bear some symbolism? Of course, since they are known only by their professions. But, each is a unique character, not a caricaturization. Thus, Stalker achieves a rare intimacy in film, one absent from most films, Hollywood or foreign, and if not a great film, certainly it is an excellent film, and one of the most unique visions committed to screen. See for yourself how even failure can fail better than most.

tarkovsky
dvds are kind of a pain in the a-- (movie is split between 2 discs), but great movie. criterion needs to release this title.

The Emperor has no clothes
This is a long, BORING movie. It's just unbelievable how self-indulgent the pacing is. I cannot figure out how people can enjoy this film. (I have a suspicion why they praise it, though -- see the title above.) Even if you like serious films (as I do), don't subject yourselves to this boredom. The whole point of the movie could have been made in 30 minutes. Instead, we have to endure nearly 3 hours of endless shots. Just an example: There are three men in a field. The first man walks toward the viewer, slowly. The whole trip takes perhaps 2 minutes -- just walking. Then the second guy starts walking -- another 2 minutes. Then the third... And then there is a cut, finally. Next scene: the first man starts walking again, this time shot from the back -- 2 more minutes. Then the second -- another 2 minutes. Then the third... Did you enjoy reading this verbose description. If so, then perhaps you may like this film. Normal viewers, beware!

No Word Exists to Describe This Movie
STALKER is truly an amazing movie. It's one of the greatest movies ever made and if not number one in my list, then in the top 3. The title is a little lost in translation, most of us thinking it means 'to stalk.' The Russian word for stalker, can be translated many ways, including guide, angel, pathfinder, and demon. Any and all of these translations apply to Stalker, but it just depends on your point of view which translation you use. Likewise, there are many different ways to describe The Zone and The Room, and each one makes sense.

This movie requires your full attention. Sure, it is over 3 hours long, but it feels like 1.5.