Andrei Rublev
1966 · Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
Original language: Russian
- drama
- history
The story
An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.
What it’s like
Long, slow takes drift through mud, snow and smoke in flat grey and sepia tones, with the black-and-white interludes giving way to saturated colour only in the final stretch, when the painted icons themselves fill the screen. Sound is doing as much work as the image: wind, bells, dripping water and a low hum of crowds press in, while the score is sparse and sudden. Shots are often static or slowly tracking, framed with a painter's sense of composition, and the camera lingers on faces, horses, rain and ruined landscapes until ordinary moments feel charged with weight. The vibe is austere, contemplative and quietly devastating, closer to a slow meditation than a story, and it suits a late, unhurried evening with full attention rather than background viewing. Its pacing is deliberately sluggish and its emotional register is grave, following a man who withdraws from the world's violence and slowly seeks his way back to creating. The film is intense in places: there is a brutal battle, a stark depiction of sexual violence, famine, and scenes of cruelty and fear, all rendered with restraint rather than gore. It is for viewers who want serious, demanding art about faith and creativity and can sit with long silences and harsh images.
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