Plot: A psychologist, Chris Kelvin, whose wife is deceased, goes to a space station orbiting the planet Solaris after its commander has died. Soon strange events start to occur , and people appear, some from the dead.....
Comment: (first posted at IMDB, June 2004, edited January 2005)
What can I say, some people will love the movie, some will find it boring (Kendal's words when asked to comment on it: "Ho-hum"), and some will find it a complete waste of time.
First, let me put it bluntly: I loved this movie. But depending on the mood the day I saw it first, maybe I would have felt like I could have found a better way to spend my time. The line between the two feelings being a thin one, as not much actually happens (no, it is not a sci-fi movie with lots of battles and alien creatures and stuff), and what really matters is what is found in the long silences.
There are undeniable qualities to this movie: first, the music. I hadn't heard an original music that fit so well the movie since Requiem For a Dream. But unlike that of RfaD, where the music can become overwhelming pulling you into a whirling world of powerful emotions, that of Solaris makes itself non-remarkable, being but another hint at the characters' state of mind, therefore brilliantly serving what should ultimately be a soundtrack's purpose (understand: compared to all those movies which just use the latest hits as loud as possible in order to sound cool, no matter if the songs actually fit what's going on). Secondly, and I know that some won't share that view, the visuals and the photography are stunning, and I love the contrast between the colors used in the scenes on Earth and those aboard the station, which gives this last environment an ethereal aura, again completely fitting the story. Also a word about the actors: they are very few speaking parts, but all of them have been cast well, with Clooney showing us yet another face of his talent and Natasha McEhlone simply excellent in the difficult part of Rheya, Clooney's Kelvin's deceased wife, who is the emotional core of the movie.
Now about the storytelling in itself: of course, this covers only part of the book, or the original movie (Solyaris, 1972, USSR) for that matter. But this is one of those stories where there is no real point of retelling the same story word by word. That would have been a waste of everybody's time. Instead, Soderbergh chooses to focus on some of the themes, namely the loss, the need for redemption, and the choices we make.
But don't expect long and loud theories about all this. Don't expect moral judgments about the characters' actions. Instead, you are shown facts, the slow pace of the film allowing you space and time to put in your own thoughts and feelings.
And this maybe for some the problem, and why lots of people have considered this film boring: they are times when no words are said, and little is done. Even at times, the music is completely gone, a kind of pace we're not used to in today's Occidental movies (compared to Asian cinema and animation)and that's something that we tend to be almost afraid of somehow, like at dinner when everyone run out of good words and pleasantries and all is left is silence. We always feel uncomfortable, because all we're left with is ourselves. Some days, we can face it. Some days, we cannot.
This is exactly what happens with this movie, which, at core, is a mirror to some of our own basic human feelings, and not necessarily those we're always ready to deal with. Therefore, instead of getting dragged, we're are actually asked to participate to this emotional (and NOT intellectual) journey.
But are you ready for it?
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