Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

Michał Leszczyłowski's 1988 documentary watches Andrei Tarkovsky during the shooting of his last film. The camera stays on set; the director gives instructions, discusses shots and runs the preparation. The value lies in that access. Tarkovsky made only seven features and there is little record of how he worked; the film shows how scenes were built and how the famous long take was prepared. The person who filmed it was the editor of that same production. Readings from Tarkovsky's own writings are cut in. The director died shortly after the shoot ended, and the documentary has since also been read as a record of farewell. Who it's for: those who follow Tarkovsky and like documentaries made on set. Who it's not for: viewers looking for an introduction to the filmography; the documentary keeps to the shooting of one production.