Soderbergh's version of ``Solaris'' A visual poem filled with a sense of loneliness

*This article touches on the core of the story, so we recommend reading it after watching the movie.

"Solaris" synopsis

Kelvin is dispatched to a space station floating in orbit around the planet Solaris, and upon arriving, he is surprised to find the station inside a strangely dilapidated situation. One of the three researchers is dead, one is locked in his room, and the other is saying mysterious things. When Kelvin wakes up after sleeping even more, he finds his wife, Leia, who was supposed to be dead, by his side. Apparently, it's not a ghost or an illusion, but a copy materialized from Kelvin's memories by Solaris, who has some kind of will. Other researchers also had their own visitors...

Index

• Soderbergh's version of ``Solaris'' loved by director Barry Jenkins
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind drawn by science fiction master Rem
• Original author Rem complained about the film adaptation
• A sense of “loneliness” pervades Soderbergh’s version.
• Updates made by Soderbergh
• A visual poem of loneliness created by Soderbergh as a minimalist

Soderbergh's version of ``Solaris'' loved by director Barry Jenkins

Director Barry Jenkins, who directed `` Moonlight '' (2016) and ``The Underground Railroad'' (21), said that he went to the theater six times to watch ``Solaris'' over and over again when he was in film school. However, it is not `` Planet Solaris '' (1972), a monumental science fiction movie directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. This is Steven Soderbergh's version of the 2002 film adaptation of Stanisław Lem's original novel `` In the Sunshine of Solaris '' (currently retitled ``Solaris'').

In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Jenkins announced ``8 movies to watch during quarantine'' and listed ``Solaris'' among them (by the way, he chose ``Stalker'' over Tarkovsky's ``Solaris''). ). I was surprised that Jenkins chose Soderbergh's version, but at the same time I felt like I had found a comrade. I've always felt that Soderbergh's version of Solaris was unfairly underrated, as the two films are largely the same story but have very different themes.

"Solaris" preview

Although I am aware that Tarkovsky's version is far more well-known and acclaimed, I believe that Soderbergh's version of Solaris is a masterpiece that deserves special mention in the lineage of science fiction films. Furthermore, it is also a cult movie that is enthusiastically supported by some fans. Jenkins, who declares Solaris a masterpiece, is probably one of those freaks who was fascinated by Soderbergh's version.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind drawn by science fiction master Rem