Tarkovsky poetically depicts the unconscious/ semiconscious reminiscences of a character, confined temporarily to his bed by illness. The film juxtaposes nostalgic visions of the director’s childhood in war-torn exile (seen as hypnotic slow-motion dream sequences) with stark World War II newsreels in an oblique, keenly poetic approach which finds no equal in modern cinema. Highly personal yet visually captivating, this film consists of nonlinear series of visions and associations that utilize powerful visual symbolism and fascinating camera work.