Andrey Tarkovsky entered school in Moscow in 1945, and nine years later enrolled at the State Institute of Cinematography. He displayed a remarkable talent with his first feature, Ivan's Childhood, in 1962 and he continued to astound for over twenty years. He announced his self-imposed exile from the USSR in 1984, just two years before his death. His memory has since been venerated in his home country, and his reputation and stature continue to grow throughout the world.

The 'Stalker' is half-outlaw, half-saint; he guides those who want to enter the Forbidden Zone, seeking an answer to their deepest desires, while hoping to heal his own sick daughter: but the Zone plays strange tricks on those who dare to enter - and Tarkovsky here creates his most disturbing vision of a dislocated world.