The youth of Ivan – Ivanovo detstvo (1962)

Directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky | 95 minutes | drama, war | Actors: Nikolay Burlyaev, Valentin Zubkov, Evgeniy Zharikov, Stepan Krylov, Nikolay Grinko, Dmitri Milyutenko, Valentina Malyavina, Irina Tarkovskaya, Andrey Konchalovskiy, Ivan Savkin, Vladimir Marenkov, Vera Miturich

In the poetic opening scene of Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘The Youth of Ivan’ (also known as ‘Ivan’s Youth’, ‘Ivan’s Childhood’ or ‘Ivanovo detstvo’), the viewer sees the twelve-year-old namesake of the film wandering soul alone through a natural environment. He is only surrounded by a few deer and butterflies. The boy (convincing role of Kolya Burlyayev) looks overjoyed, as if he were the king of the world. But then suddenly ominous music swells up in the background. Ivan is, as it were, carried away to the human kingdom by an invisible hand. The dream shattered. Even his mother, who tries to spread her protective aura over the teenager, cannot save him from the impending doom.

The next scene shows the nightmare of everyday life. During World War II, Ivan is active as a spy for the Russian army. With his short length, he is the ideal person to reconnoitre the territory behind enemy lines, so that the army knows exactly where to launch its counter-offensive. His field of activity is in a swamp area, from which all life has been drawn. In the distance you can hear the constant clatter of arms of the German army. The threat hangs like an imperturbable blanket over the desolate landscape.

This threat is optimally exploited by the aesthetics of ‘Ivan’s youth’, shot in black and white. The camera is often focused from close by at Ivan or one of the other characters. In the background, the ever-dark cloudy sky is incessantly visible. Some relief is, quite literally, hard to find. And if there is a source of light, it casts threatening shadows that steadily swallow the light. The darkness is winning. Because the film lets the camera do the work, together with the minimal editing, a film-realistic image is created that makes the oppression of war effectively tangible. The natural lighting complements that chilling authenticity.

Despite the horrors and trauma of losing his childhood, Ivan never loses his courage and righteousness. Although only twelve years old, he has built up the necessary life experience that allows him to stand up to the adults. He earns their respect with it, as an equal of men. Only his slender, young body proves to be related to a child. That clash, between childhood and adulthood, once again increases the threat. Ultimately, ‘The Youth of Ivan’ is all about these kinds of contradictions, with the contrast between life and death as the pinnacle. Ivan lives in the twilight zone between the contrasts. An area with no past or future. A place where there are no winners or losers. Just the everlasting nothing.