Rerberg and Tarkovsky. The Reverse Side of 'Stalker'

«Rerberg and Tarkovsky. The Reverse Side of «Stalker» is part of the documentary sequence «Rerberg», which tells the dramatic story of life and work of one of the most striking national cameraman, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation Georgi Ivanovich Rerberg. In the first 10 years of his work in cinema he shot his best movies: «The First Teacher», «The Story of Asia Kliachina», «The Nobility Nest» with the director Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky and also «Mirror» with Andrei Tarkovsky, without whom it is impossible to imagine the story of world cinema. Rerberg the cameraman was the last in the family of Russian painters, architects and musicians Rerbergs, whose destinies throughout different generations reflected the crisis of human relations in a totalitarian state. This crisis had an especially striking and devastating effect on G.Rerberg himself, when during the shooting of «Stalker» the director Andrei Tarkovsky provoked a «spiritual Chernobyl» against him and other members of the crew. Rerberg’s death severed the link to the true story of the creation of «Stalker», the story which became a legend and concerning which he never made any public statements, although certain existing versions of these events affected his honor, dignity, professionalism and seriously influenced his career. This is a private story, reflecting the future catastrophe of our society. It could become a warning to people, but the documentary facts have been collected only now in this movie. – Moscow International Film Festival