SOLARIS

            There’s an oft-broken rule that states, “one should never remake a great film”. It’s fortunate for Steven Soderbergh that Andrei Tarkovski’s 1972 Solaris isn’t that great. Frankly that film is ponderous and slow and Soderbergh’s remake is superior in almost every way. Of course, you’ll never hear any “serious” film critic admit it; after all, Tarkovsky is the saint the film-geeks. But nonetheless, it’s true. One of the great accomplishments of the new Solaris is that it makes its point in a quarter of the time it took Tarkovsky in his cinematic equivalent of fishing (remember the first shot of that film?). This kind of storytelling economy is just one of the reasons why Soderbergh is one the best directors in Hollywood and probably the world. Future film-geeks will take note after he’s dead, but for now it’s sufficient to say that he’s a filmmaker at the top of his game.

            Solaris, based on Stanislaw Lem’s novel, is a story of Chris Kalvin, a psychiatrist who’s psychologically devastated after his wife’s suicide. Early in the film, Kalvin is sent on a mission to a space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris. His assignment is to find out why the crew refuses to return to Earth. Once on the station, Kalvin discovers that his buddy, the Captain is dead and the rest of the crew is either terrified or zonked out. He soon finds out why; the planet creates living manifestations of the crewmen’s memories. In Kalvin’s case, the manifestation is his dead wife and after some initial resistance, he begins to fall in love with her all over again.

            One of the things I love about this film is how it uses science fiction to tell a romantic ghost story. Don’t expect some pat explanation as to what’s happening. Like the dead Captain tells Kalvin in a dream: “This isn’t about answers, it’s about choices”. Just like real life. The choices Kalvin does eventually make are thought provoking and debatable. Is the manifestation fated to repeat the cycle of Kalvin’s wife? Is she doomed as a result of being based solely on Kalvin’s memories and perspectives? Is she even real? Is any of it real? Are we all doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again? These are fascinating questions that haunted me for days after the movie and are an obvious testament to the success of Soderbergh’s vision. 

            Let me also touch upon the film’s technique. Once again, Soderbergh acts as his own DP and the results are wonderful. The film has an organic feel that’s so desperately lacking in most Hollywood movies. And while many will find the pacing slow, I was drawn into its deliberate and mellow approach to the story. A lesser director would have punched up the drama and suspense. Soderbergh lets his characters propel the plot and it works remarkably well. Again, the economy is wonderful; Solaris is utterly “fat” free. But there’s also real emotion here, based on universal themes, handled skillfully and with great subtlety. Notice the scene where the manifestation of Rhea, visits Kalvin for the first time. The cross-cutting, the camera work, the acting all combine to create an effect that’s emotionally moving and cinematically breathtaking. This is a terrific film that will surely be overlooked. But I’m looking forward to revisiting it for years to come.