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 orbiting the Solaris, and is shocked upon arrival by the strangely dilapidated state of the station. One of the three researchers is dead, another has locked himself in his room, and the third only speaks mysterious things. When Kelvin wakes up after falling asleep, he finds his wife Leia, who was supposed to be dead, beside him. She is not a ghost or an illusion, but a copy materialized from Kelvin's memories by Solaris, which has some kind of will of its own. And each of the other researchers has a visitor...

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

Barry Jenkins, director of Moonlight (2016) and The Underground Railroad (2021), says that when he was in film school, he wanted to watch Solaris over and over again, so he went to the cinema six times. However, he is not talking about the sci-fi masterpiece Solaris (1972) directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. He is talking about the 2002 film adaptation by director Steven Soderbergh of the original novel Solaris (now renamed Solaris), also written by Stanislaw Lem.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, Jenkins announced "8 movies to watch during quarantine" and included "Solaris" in his list (incidentally, among Tarkovsky's works, he chose "Stalker" instead of "Solaris"). I was surprised that Jenkins chose the Soderbergh version, but at the same time I felt like I had found a comrade. Although the two films have almost the same story, they are completely different in style, and I have felt that the Soderbergh version of "Solaris" has been unfairly underrated.

"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