Ivan's Childhood(Ivanovo detstvo)

A poetic yet austere journey of a Russian war orphan seeking revenge through a dangerous espionage mission behind German lines, Tarkovsky’s utterly personal and spiritual debut feature offers the early stirrings of his visionary aesthetics. Replacing narrative causality with lyrical articulation, the Russian director examines the catastrophic losses of World War II through the interplay between the traumatic realities and his carefree childhood dreams. Otherworldly landscapes, dream sequences, and memory flashbacks under languid camera movement become the germinal form of the mystical Tarkovsky universe, where compassion coexists with a cold, lucid brilliance in pure audacity and electrifying visual beauty.

Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion Award

9/11 (Sat) Speaker: Joyce Yang (Researcher, film critic)