Monday Morning Maybe

Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for Stalker

Stalker

Seen it?

1979 | 162 min | Science Fiction, Drama

Friday Night Flick

Why it’s a Friday Night Flick

Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences adore it (8.1 out of 10), people are still talking about it and it made about 307 times its budget. Make plans for this one.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for sci-fi fans. If you loved The Creator or Edge of Tomorrow, start here.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
Unhurried and epic, at 2 hr 42 min.
What might put you off
  • It's long: 2 hr 42 min.
  • It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Made in 1979: an older pace and style.

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.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 85 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesVery strong

    8.1 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Box office & staying powerStrong

    $37 million worldwide on a $120K budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactVery strong

    About 628K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

  • Alisa FreyndlikhStalker's Wife
  • Aleksandr KaydanovskiyStalker
  • Anatoliy SolonitsynWriter
  • Mykola HrynkoProfessor
  • Natalya AbramovaMarta
  • Faime JurnoWriter's Companion
  • Evgeniy KostinLyuger, Owner of Cafe
  • Raimo RendiPolice Patrol
  • Vladimir ZamanskiyProfessor's Telephone Interlocutor (voice) (uncredited)