Stalker (1979) – Filming Locations
Science Fiction / Drama · Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky · Starring Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Alisa Freyndlikh
Near a gray and unnamed city is the Zone, a place guarded by barbed wire and soldiers, and where the normal laws of physics are victim to frequent anomalies. A stalker guides two men into the Zone, specifically to an area in which deep-seated desires are granted.
Where was Stalker filmed?
- Moscow, Russia, Moscow – Opening sequences establishing the Stalker's ordinary life in the city before the journey. Tarkovsky filmed the mundane urban prologue in Moscow to contrast the everyday world with the mystical Zone
- Tallinn, Estonia, Tallinn – The mysterious Zone and its interior landscapes, journeys through desolate passages. Tarkovsky chose Tallinn's decaying Soviet-era industrial sites and post-war ruins as the primary location for the otherworldly Zone, using its bleakness and architectural decay as a visual metaphor for spiritual mystery
- Jägala, Estonia, Jägala – Climactic sequence at the Room, with the waterfall providing natural backdrop. The only named natural location used in the film, the waterfall serves as a threshold to the mystical Room and the film's spiritual climax