Want to get into Tarkovsky, but keep falling asleep during his very long films? Then may I suggest some sort of drinking game to get you through the long screen duration. Some suggested rules:

Drink of choice: Tarko was not a big drinker, but vodka would appear to be most suitable.

Take one drink for each of the following:

• Any take lasting longer than 3 minutes.
• Any extended shot of the back of a character’s head.
• A female character having some kind of mental breakdown
• A shot illustrating ‘the beauty of nature’ etc.. etc..
• Arty reflection in a mirror
• Character reappearing in frame after long pan away from them
• Existential discussion of man’s position in the universe

And the following deserve more:

• A shift from monochrome to high-saturation colour or vice versa – TWO DRINKS
• Indoor rain – TWO DRINKS
• Some form of levitation – FINISH THE BOTTLE

Happy viewing!