The End of Desire The Soteriological Significance of Desire, Hope, and Belief in Andrei Tarkovsky’s STALKER (USSR 1979)
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This article explores the soteriological significance of desire in Сталкер (STALKER, Andrei Tarkovsky, RU 1979). At the heart of the film, deep within a paranormal and psychosomatic frontier called the Zone, is a space which signifies the end of all desire: the Room, a preternatural place of mystical power which is said to grant one’s innermost wishes. The Zone and the Room become soteriological motifs. Tarkovsky’s characters travel there motivated by a yearning for healing; a hope for salvation. This article explores this soteriological journey through the interplay of desire, hope, and belief, for this triad is the key conceptual scheme at work in the film. By analysing the film with a focus on this framework, several theological and soteriological concepts emerge which can be fruitfully explored. Above all, by focusing on the significance of this triad, a crucial aspect of Tarkovsky’s religious thought comes to light: his understanding of the relationship between desire and love.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
By submitting a paper, the author(s) agrees that:
- The copyright for a published article in its wording remains with the journal for three years; afterwards, it falls back to the author on condition that the article may remain in the archived issue of the journal.
- All rights on the object described in said article remain with the author. However, the author has to agree that s/he will not publish another publication on an identical subject in another journal within one year of submission of the article to the JRFM.
- The author is responsible for clearing copyright issues that may emerge from images and/or media clips s/he uses in her/his article.