Motives of Mirroring in Andrei Tarkovsky’s Film The Mirror

Abstract

Motives of Mirroring in Andrei Tarkovsky’s Film The Mirror. – The introduction to Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror is the key to understanding the entire film. Control, knowledge and coming to grips with oneself are the main themes here. However, one cannot directly gain control over one’s ego; this can only be done through a reflection – through a mirror’s reflection. Whether this reflection is quivering on a surface, is reflected in a window, mirror or in the human mind, it always remains a mere appearance, a game thrust into the field of subjectivity. In despite of this, the ego can become just as real as its relation to the whole, or the world.