Review of Solaris (2002) by Keenan S — 08 Dec 2018

I have yet to see the more acclaimed 1972 version. I have also never seen the 1968 made-for-television version, nor have I read the original novel. My sole experience with Solaris is the divisive 2002 version by Steven Soderbergh.

That being said, what I found with the 2002 version is a beautiful, cerebral, emotionally-engaging, and melancholic exploration into loneliness, guilt, existentialism, the metaphysical, and so much more.

When a space station goes silent near the planet, Solaris, therapist, Dr. Chris Kelvin is sent to investigate what happened based on a video recording sent by one of the crew members, asking him by name to come.

Even a security team sent in before him never returned, so the trip is already looking uneasy. Upon arriving, he sees blood trails and very few signs of life. He finds two crew members - Snow, a strange and neurotic crew member, and Gordon, who is filled with paranoia and doesn't even want to come out of her room at first.

The other crew members are dead, due to the unexplained phenomena that the crew are experiencing (Though, Dr. Kelvin does see a child, but is unable to catch him and talk to him). During his stay, Dr.

Kelvin is awakened by his wife, Rheya, who thinks they are at home together. Dr. Kelvin is understandably taken aback by this...because she's dead. Dr. Kelvin's time on the ship becomes a time of emotional torment as old memories are awakened and as he and the surviving crew members try to figure out what exactly is going on around them.

..all while being trapped in the terrifying isolation of space. Solaris is a gripping, slow-building drama that really strikes a chord as Dr. Kelvin relives memories of his marriage to Rheya - the good times, the bad times, and the ugliest of times that resulted in tragedy.

It becomes incredibly heartbreaking at times, but never in an overwrought way. Rather, the way it unfolds is shown to us in a more believable manner, making such scenes all the more crushing. What makes it worse is that whatever force that has taken the form of Rheya states that she only exists through his memories and how he remembers her, causing her torment as she experiences these things, trapping her in a never-ending existential nightmare.

It's a film that ponders life with all of its ups and downs, as well as exploring the possibility of a higher power and forces beyond our control. I found it to be a superb film that had made me engaged from beginning to end.

I wanted to know what was happening, I wanted to dissect the myriad themes, and I was also engaged emotionally, becoming invested in the turmoil of Dr. Kelvin's life. I think Solaris is one of the most underrated and best films of the 2000's.

We need more sci-fi films like this.