The horror movie Andrei Tarkovsky called “unspeakably revolting”
Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky is widely regarded as one of the most influential directors of all time, known for his meditative films such as Stalker, Mirror, Solaris and Ivan’s Childhood. With a penchant for slowness, allowing the viewer to soak up his films’ dense thematic explorations of life, death and beyond, Tarkovsky’s work has become essential viewing for all budding filmmakers.
After studying film, Tarkovsky released his first feature, Ivan’s Childhood, in 1962, winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Subsequently, the director embarked on a successful career, following up his debut with Andrei Rublev. The 1970s proved even more fruitful, with Tarkovsky releasing one of his greatest works, Mirror, in 1975. The film was significantly inspired by his childhood, centring the theme of nostalgia through an unconventional narrative structure. Regarded as one of the most beautiful films ever made, Mirror is true Tarkovsky, with dreamlike images and fragments of poetry weaving together to create an undisputed masterpiece.
Despite his expertise, Tarkovsky believed that very few directors had mastered the art of cinema, arguing that the amount of good filmmakers “can be counted on the fingers of one hand”. He was particularly fond of Federico Fellini, stating: “I like Fellini for his kindness, for his love of people, for his, let’s say, simplicity and intimate intonation.”
Tarkovsky was also a fan of Robert Bresson, calling him “the only director in the world that has achieved absolute simplicity in cinema,” adding, “[Bresson] has always astonished and attracted me with his ascetics.”
However, there was one director that Tarkovsky was certainly not keen on, expressing his less-than-flattering opinion on one of his films with no holds barred. It was Polish director Andrzej Żuławski who was at the receiving end of Tarkovsky’s ruthless criticism, all because of his 1981 film Possession. The movie starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a married couple going through a bitter divorce. Yet, as the film progresses, the pair’s behaviour becomes increasingly unhinged and disturbed, with Żuławski incorporating supernatural horror into the frightening narrative.
Upon its release, Possession failed to find commercial success, only receiving its revered status years later. It earned mixed reviews, with some critics believing it to be too outlandish and overdramatic. But no one seemed to hate the film as much as Tarkovsky. The director gave the movie a terrible review, offended by how awful he believed the film to be.
Tarkovsky wrote in his diary, “Saw an unspeakably revolting film called Possession. An American mixture of horror film, Satanism, violence, thriller & anything else you like to name. Monstrous. Money, money, money… Nothing real, nothing true. No beauty, no truth, nothing.”
These days, Possession is considered a cult classic, finding surprising popularity online, with clips and stills from the film being widely used on apps such as TikTok and Pinterest, clearly attracting a new generation of fans. The horror movie Andrei Tarkovsky called “unspeakably revolting”.
Watch the trailer below.
