dir. Andrei Tarkovsky

1979 // 2hr 43 mins // Digital Projection // Russian w/ Eng Subtitles

One of the most immersive and rarefied experiences in the history of cinema, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker embarks on a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic post-apocalyptic landscape. A hired guide—the “Stalker” of the title—leads a writer and a scientist into the heart of the Zone, the restricted site of a long-ago disaster, where the three men eventually zero in on the Room, a place rumored to fulfill one’s most deeply held desires. Adapting a science-fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, and making what would be his final Soviet feature, Tarkovsky created a challenging and visually stunning work, his painstaking attention to material detail and sense of organic atmosphere further enriched by this vivid new digital restoration. At once a religious allegory, a reflection of contemporary political anxieties, and a meditation on film itself—among many other interpretations—Stalker envelops the viewer by opening up a multitude of possible meanings.

Bargain Bin Film School is the only non-accredited film school in the greater Kansas City Area taught by one person who's only taken ONE film class in college and another person that's maybe been to more than one. Each month BBFS looks at a heralded or overlooked classic of world cinema, but this time with less film bros ad more fun.