The Mirror (1975) is one of the greatest Russian movies to be produced after the Second World War which still continues to attract crowds of viewers to cinemas and film stores even nowadays. Its setting and plot revolve around the story that happens during the war time in Russia; the movie features a society influenced by grim past which threatens to tear the family ties that bond the fabric of society. It is a true representation of the struggles that families have to endure to come to terms with the dingy pictures which dominate the era of the war and its aftermath. Its production and plot are based on the childhood memories of poems recited from father to son and its effects form the basis for The Mirror and its subsequent productions.
Unlike many films that have a straight plot which is chronologically produced with a clear transition of themes and events, The Mirror was produced with great chronological flexibility, flashbacks and foresights. It covers events before the Second World War, during the war and after it which are revealed through the generations used as cast in the movie. The movie begins with Alexei’s son, Ignat, watching a doctor examining a patient on television; this is one of the aftermaths of the Second World War followed by the next scene that features a rural setting where Alexia’s mother, Maria, is washing her hair while talking to a doctor who is passing by.
Alexey and Natalia’s quarrel at the post war times shows the existing tension that leads to the breakout of the war like in scenes resembling the Spanish civil war. Astrange woman siting in an apartment room depicts the people who were made to leave their homes because of the war, while Alexey’s riffle training is a post war interpretation on how countries were prepared for the coming Second World War and the Sino-Soviet tensions.
The reunion of children with their father is associated with nations reuniting after the war. It then comes back to the war times while featuring the quarrels of Alexey and his wife Natalia. The scene of a soaring mother depicts suspense between the prewar and war times. The end of the movie includes scenes of Alexey’s death showing how powerful states are brought down by the war, while the scene of Maria at her prime age, when she is pregnant, is a clear indication of a coming generation confronted by a tainted and dark past.
The writer of The Mirror uses a great stylistic device like suspense to create tension experienced by civilians before, during and after the war. The use of symbolism, like in the scene with a burning barn, depicts a great destruction that is evident when the nations fight. The family arguments also illustrate the discrepancies of the states that led to the war; the plot is then followed by reconciliations that do not work as expected. The women in this movie symbolize the role nations play in protecting and nurturing their citizens. The Mirror is a true reflection of how human beings can turn their lives into disaster by ignoring the rights and dignity of the people surrounding them. The mistakes made by the past generation influence the lives of the coming, innocent generations. This poses a question if the descendants should suffer from the consequences of their predecessors’ mistakes.