Thanks to
@Frank S. 's recommendation, I finally finished watching Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker. It was a unique movie experience, and well worth the effort it took me (who struggles to sit still) to finish. It took 5 sessions at roughly ~30 mins each to get to the end.
The start was slow, confusing and oppressive for me. When the wife was writhing and agonizing on the floor, I gave up trying to figure it all out and wiki-ed the plot. Intrigued by what I read, I stopped the first session before the group entered the Zone. I decided to return with fresh eyes because I expected things to ramp up.
The second session was watched on the cross trainer. With a better appreciation of the director's methods, I can't argue the camera work, the sound work, the acting and the scenery created a fascinating and immersive experience. I found myself growing tense from the sense of a subtle, undefined horror. It got too much, so I had to take an interval break and watched a music vid. When I got back into the film, the creepy tension built up all over again.
For the third and fourth session, hubby indulgently kept me company. He immediately fell asleep on both occasions. I also had to nudge him a couple of times when he started to snore because it ruined the sound effects.
Regardless of Andrei Tarkovsky's genius, the film took great viewing stamina that I didn't have. By the fifth session, I decided to watch it in bed. I leaned my iPhone against my husband's pillow, right next to his ear, and watched the remainder. Normally, this would drive him nuts, but he just went straight to sleep!
I'm so glad I persisted. In addition to the artistry behind the filmmaking, I remain ponderous of the themes covered. I certainly don’t claim to get it, and having since read a lot of commentary on the film, I’m not the only one. Apparently, even the writers of the screenplay didn’t know exactly what they were writing. Only that they wrote multiple versions of it until Tarkovsky approved. It was sad to read that the death of the director, his wife and one of the leading actors might have been related to filming at a toxic location. I was wondering what the fluffy stuff floating in the air was...
5 Stars from me. It was an excellent change of pace from the usual Hollywood stuff.
If anyone is interested, you can watch it on this YouTube link I found. Just remember to switch on the subtitles.
Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice....I won't be fooled again. 
