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| DIRECTED BY |
| Steven Soderbergh
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| STARRING |
| George Clooney |
| Natascha McElhone |
| Viola Davis |
| Jeremy Davies |
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It�s safe to say that Steven Soderbergh hasn�t gotten any less ambitious since his Oscar win for directing �Traffic,� presenting us with a contemplative science fiction film that will send 99.9% of its viewers into a complete head-trip in its last few scenes. The style and pacing of this film is very reminiscent of Kubrick�s �2001: A Space Odyssey,� particularly in the first few scenes where Soderbergh shows us massive steel structures floating through space. And �Solaris� will also most likely leave you with just about as many questions as you had at the end of �2001� (if you�ve seen it, that is.)
Soderbergh didn�t have to use a whole lot of camera trickery with this film to leave a lasting visual impression upon his audience. All he really had to do was show us the amazingly elaborate design of the space station to impress us visually. Lighting is used in many symbolic ways here as well, particularly with the dream sequences. And Soderbergh also makes use of the editing technique that he used so commonly in �The Limey� that I love so much - cutting away from dialogue to show us another scene as we still hear the characters� conversation. Perhaps Tarkovsky�s 1972 version of �Solaris� could�ve benefited from this quick-pacing technique had he used it; as it is, I certainly can�t sit through the whole thing.
Personally, I interpreted the ostensibly happy ending to actually imply a melancholy message of self-sacrifice due to undying regret. It's too bad that the film leads up to this ending in a largely awkward way; some of plot's intricacies just don't seem to make much sense (why was that boy suddenly made out to be so important in the end?) If Soderbergh was actually trying to make a grand statement about humanity a la '2001,' it really doesn't come together that well.
The main, literal idea of �Solaris� is how would a person react when confronted with the possibility of getting the chance to be with a loved one again after they�ve died. The truly great sci-fi films manage to allow its viewers to find human emotions within its abstract concepts and ultimately empathize with or at least relate to those emotions. �Solaris� did manage to evoke some of those emotions in me � specifically, the psychological scars that profound regret can result in and the longing to �go back� and repair misdeeds. These emotions are developed well enough to leave viewers who can deal with the confusion that they will probably encounter at the end with an appreciation of what they just witnessed. Alas, if you are looking for an explanation of the film (and one that I almost completely agree with,) I�ll leave you with this helpful link.
