Journal of Islamic Mysticism

Andrei Tarkovsky is one of the most influential artists in cinema history who was born and raised during the period of materialist philosophical dominance in the Soviet Union. However, by adopting his personal approach to art, he created works that were anti-materialist in both structure and content. In this research, considering the materialist philosophical background of the Soviet Union during Tarkovsky's lifetime, we have enumerated the anti-materialist aspects of Tarkovsky's cinema in both structural and thematic sections using a descriptive-analytical approach to his works. The result is that Tarkovsky's cinema can be considered structurally possessing components for transcending matter to meaning, and thematically can be divided into two periods: life in the former Soviet Union with a negative view of materialist philosophy, and life in Western Europe with a positive view of spirituality, faith, and even religion. This study examines five major films from Tarkovsky's seven feature films: Andrei Rublev, Solaris, and Stalker from his Soviet period, and Nostalghia and The Sacrifice from his Western European exile period. The analysis demonstrates how Tarkovsky's philosophical stance against materialism manifested in his distinctive cinematic techniques—including extended takes, minimal editing, use of color, and integration of nature—and in his narratives featuring protagonists who pursue transcendent ideals through sacrifice and suffering despite material circumstances.