Andrei Rublev

Andrei Rublev (1969)****

After the successful debut with Ivan's Childhood (1962) very talented Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky decided to shot a picture about the XV Century famous icon painter.

This is not a typical biography film since there are little facts about Rublev. Instead, Tarkovsky used this historic figure to tell some universal truths about mankind in general and Russians in particular.

However, he made a masterpiece. This is very demanding movie that requires multiple viewings to fully grasp its amazing content enriched by extraordinary shots. It's like reading a heavy Dostoyevsky novel – sometimes you must repeat some parts. But, if you are open-minded and concentrated the whole way through you'll be richly rewarded with some brilliantly clever, revealing and meaningful content about human vanity, responsibility and spirituality. Tarkovsky's skill is tremendous, pace is deliberate (in good sense), photography and sounds are breathtaking and acting is superb. You won't find entertainment in this one unless entertainment is profound meditation on human nature. So, if your favorite movie is something like Harry Potter... don't bother with this one.