Tarkovsky belongs in the pantheon of European art cinema that influenced Woody Allen. The blatant narcissism in this film is explicit in many of Allen's films. But unlike Allen who is a comedian, Tarkovsky had no interest in helping the audience follow the story.
It's like the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass.