Solaris

How do you market and present a science fiction film that is not a traditional science fiction film? That’s the challenge facing the companies behind Stephen Soderbergh’s Solaris, a film based on both the novel by Stanislaw Lem and the 1972 Russian film by Andrei Tarkovsky. A combination of romance, science fiction, and existentialism, this is a concoction most people are finding hard to swallow judging by the box office numbers. Which means a lot of people are skipping one of the most challenging and exciting studio films released in a while.

The film opens on Chris Kelvin (George Clooney), a psychiatrist steeped in his grief over his wife’s suicide. In the midst of his turmoil, Kelvin is asked to investigate strange occurrences on a space station orbiting the ocean planet Solaris. It seems the crew of the ship have been experienced strange dream-like manifestations that have lead to the death of much of the crew and the suicide of the ship’s commander. While at first he is skeptical of the claims of the two survivors, Gordon (Viola Davis) and Snow (Jeremy Davies), Kelvin soon learns of these occurrences first-hand when his dead wife Rheya (Natasha McElhone) reappears to rekindle their relationship. At first apprehensive, Kelvin soon embraces Rheya’s appearance as a chance to examine their relationship and fix the things that went wrong, even as all the signs point to insanity and death.

If I told you that the film resembles a combination of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 and Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes From a Marriage, it would only scratch the surface of what can only be described as a fascinating and complex movie. The film represent the most ambitious work Soderbergh has attempted to date and he succeeds brilliantly. Solaris is a film that quietly keeps revealing its layers until its shattering conclusion.

It has one of best performances Clooney has ever given and features strong support from McElhone and Davis, whose Gordon is the only crew member who still has her wits about her. As Kelvin becomes more detached from reality, he and Gordon clash consistently and Davis commands the screen like a female Samuel L. Jackson. Her performance is so intense that during her scenes, you cannot take your eyes off of her. As the other survivor, Davies, who is probably best known for his role as the cowardly soldier in Saving Private Ryan, gives the jittery, stoner performance he’s given for years in scores of independent films. He’s not bad, but you sometimes wish he’d take more risks or try something different with his performances.

For all its daring, Solaris is not a film audiences can embrace easily. The events onboard the ship unfold at a leisurely pace, and audiences will need patience to stay with the film. Plus, the film gives no easy answers to the questions it poses, leaving that for audience to decide. But rather than view these issues as problems, audiences should look at them as a chance to break away from entertainment for entertainment’s sake and embrace something that requires their input and a piece of themselves. Solaris is one of the best films released this year. To miss it would be a shame.

Submitted 14 December 02. Posted 15 December 02.