Tarkovsky: you either love him or hate him. It's imperative to understand that Tarkovsky is more about mood and imagery than strong driving narrative, although it's untrue that this film lacks narrative (unlike Mirror which is simply a collection of scenes). The story is there in Nostalgia: the characters are all real and fight for their needs and wants - there is conflict. But Tarkovsky is more interested in the feeling of the story rather than clearly communicating plot information and keeping you locked into classical narrative structure.
VERY few filmmakers can do this well, and countless filmmakers try to imitate Tarkovsky and miserably fail, partly because they don't understand that there is a real story happening here - it's just presented in a way that is highly allegorical. This is definitely not 'lazy' filmmaking, or style covering for a lack of technique (Tarkovsky was a highly literate man who could run circles around most Hollywood scriptwriters, and he had the services of Antonioni's screenwriter for Nostalgia). He is simply one of the very few filmmakers who can make a good film without adhering to classical narrative film structure.
As is traditional for Tarkovsky, the actors are all top notch, the cinematography is divine, the sound design is intentional and the music is very judiciously chosen. Nothing is left to chance. And yes, of course there is plenty of water, as with his other films! Would I have enjoyed a more traditional narrative format for a film like this? Yes, which is why I gave this film only seven stars. Tarkovsky could have done a bit more to keep us involved in the story without compromising the mood he was building. But I still gladly accept this film for what it is - it has some absolutely magical, brilliant moments that forever stay in your mind.
If you're new to Tarkovsky, it's probably a better idea to start with some of his more accessible films, such as Ivan's Childhood and Solaris.
VERY few filmmakers can do this well, and countless filmmakers try to imitate Tarkovsky and miserably fail, partly because they don't understand that there is a real story happening here - it's just presented in a way that is highly allegorical. This is definitely not 'lazy' filmmaking, or style covering for a lack of technique (Tarkovsky was a highly literate man who could run circles around most Hollywood scriptwriters, and he had the services of Antonioni's screenwriter for Nostalgia). He is simply one of the very few filmmakers who can make a good film without adhering to classical narrative film structure.
As is traditional for Tarkovsky, the actors are all top notch, the cinematography is divine, the sound design is intentional and the music is very judiciously chosen. Nothing is left to chance. And yes, of course there is plenty of water, as with his other films! Would I have enjoyed a more traditional narrative format for a film like this? Yes, which is why I gave this film only seven stars. Tarkovsky could have done a bit more to keep us involved in the story without compromising the mood he was building. But I still gladly accept this film for what it is - it has some absolutely magical, brilliant moments that forever stay in your mind.
If you're new to Tarkovsky, it's probably a better idea to start with some of his more accessible films, such as Ivan's Childhood and Solaris.