symbolism

tarkovskys movies are always so abstract that people come away with meanings that are valid but not necessarily the same as his... was wondering if anyone had any informationa bout what his thoughts were for this film.[just saw it first timetonight]. i read sculpting in time and found it to be really inspiring and rational, so i know he has a human [honest] response to his own work, and i want to know what some of this means to him, because this is so personal sometimes i felt out of the loop.. not the obvious symbols like maria, or the tree or the house but things like the cloth he removes from the wet ground, the music he turns off and on, the lights he turns off and on, .. and what is that trinket that julia puts on victors leg when she is first introduced? its a long shot so its hard to see and the vhs transfer was blasphemous...