Andrei Rublev, an orthodox itinerant monk and icon painter, travels across medieval Russia with the intention of comforting people and strengthening their belief in God’s merciful nature through his work. But the violence and cruelty he encounters during his journey increasingly cause him to doubt his mission. Disillusioned, he withdraws from the outside world into a monastery, until a fateful encounter with a passionate young artist renews his sense of purpose.
For more than four years, Andrei Tarkovsky worked on his dream project: a historical epic about Andrei Rublev, one of Russia’s most revered painters. Upon completion, the Soviet board of censors criticised Tarkovsky’s meticulously researched reconstruction of the 15th century due to its Christian perspective and implicit criticism of the oppression of art under totalitarian governance. After a single Moscow screening in 1966, the film was banned and could not be shown again before 1971. Today, Andrei Rublev is rightfully considered one of the most significant works in film history. A visually stunning portrait of a struggling artist, whose humanistic plea for kindness and charity remains as relevant as ever.
Written and translated by Mischa Haberthür
