Its atmosphere is so dense and intimidating and when mixed with that score... It reminds me the atmospheric A class horrors. It surely scared me with that black smoke inside that building at the end of the first chapter... And the fact that you couldn't move straight forward... Like a maze that builds itself as you walk...
shareThere is really nothing "unintentional" about this movie. It's one of the most deliberately crafted movies I have ever seen.
You are very much meant to feel the way you do.
Quidquid Latinae dictum sit, altum viditur.
Even though I've seen the film several times, in the scene where the phone rings, I jump and my heart races.
In heaven everything is fine.
This, its intentional
However, you have to be in the mood to feel it, as it demands your full attention
At the risk of sounding like a full time dork I'll say that, you really have to be a sensitive person to really "enter the zone"
..or not have anything better to do
Just that aspect of having to be so cautious about moving forward, but not being able to see what was it that needed to be avoided made the film as tense as a good horror film for me. The fear of the unknown and unseen is played on brilliantly.
I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this afternoon. With nail polish.
It's been a year since your post, but I'll reply anyway ;)
I agree with the others, the way you feel was intended by Tarkovsky. Not least on the list of instruments he used, for me, has become the film's soundtrack. If you haven't listened to it seperately from the film, I encourage you to do so. The pieces by Edward Artemiev are intense in their own right, even without the pictures. It grabbed me so much, I ended up buying both the re-recorded versions and the original score, but you can have a listen on youtube in decent sound quality...
enjoy