In 1984, the St. James Festival organizes a retrospective presentation of Andrei Tarkovsky's films. As part of the events in his honor, he gives two lectures in London and takes the opportunity to address the Western audience. Clear, articulate, informative, uncompromising, and occasionally sharp, in these two "encounters" Tarkovsky speaks openly about the purpose of cinema and art and provides a thorough, revealing overview of his worldview, artistic sensibility, and ambitions, answering the audience's questions without hesitation.

Everything that characterizes Tarkovsky's thinking and has shaped his attitude, actions, and cinema over the years is here ― in his own words.