Tarkovsky's Stalker is probably the best example of cinematic hypnosis there is. As the trio of characters finally journeys into the mysterious "zone" we are lulled into a trance by the rhythmic, and increasingly distorted, sounds of a rail car during this absurdly long sequence. From there on the journey becomes one that is increasingly interior rather than physical, which is certainly off-putting the first time around, but whether you give yourself to the film and its idiosyncratic pacing and style or not, it remains a transformative experience. And the peerless atmosphere Tarkovsky creates keeps you suspended in this sort of haunted, isolated, and timeless space. Many would call it "boredom", but the half-asleep torpor is fully intentional for the hypnosis to take effect, since Tarkovsky films work more in liminal dream spaces than the literal cause and effect we are used to.
This time around though, my first time watching Stalker again in five years, I was prepared for the journey, and so I was able to appreciate far more of the film beyond just the level of the sensory (which, by the way, is a perfectly fine way to enjoy this experience given just how amazingly Tarkovsky textures this world with all its verdant, water-logged scenery and haunting echoes). I appreciate that the film gives no easy answers, and even its more obviously allegorical elements refuse to be pinned down to obvious explanation as they are constantly put into question by the surprisingly psychologicaly complex characters. Stalker's opaqueness is likely just as big a point of contention as its languid pace for some people, but whether you realize it or not, through actively watching the film you will likely be wrestling with the same themes and ideas of hope, belief, and morality that the characters do, as the film does an incredible --and subtle-- job of keeping you immersed in the headspaces of the characters. Understanding anything is truly secondary to the experience (I would even go so far as to argue that not understanding IS key to it). Stalker is a journey into "the zone" for the viewer as much as the characters, and nobody comes back the same.
