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

A visual poem of loneliness created by Soderbergh as a minimalist

Originally, remaking Solaris into a movie was a project that director James Cameron had been thinking about for many years. Although Cameron held the film rights, he was too busy to take on the project, and after being approached by Soderbergh, he decided to direct the project. Soderbergh is unusual in not only directing but also writing the screenplay.

As a producer, Cameron gave some advice, but generally respected Soderbergh's creativity and supported him, never having anything to do with casting or even setting foot on set.

"Solaris" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Cameron has commented that if he had directed the film himself, he would have included more spectacular sci-fi footage. But Soderbergh followed his minimalist aesthetic and, like many of his other directors, pared back and left only what he thought was necessary. The fact that Tarkovsky's ``Solaris'' is 2 hours and 45 minutes long, while Soderbergh's ``Solaris'' is only 99 minutes, clearly shows the difference in their respective styles.

Soderbergh also boldly removed most of the philosophical considerations in the original. As for the reason for this, he says, ``I wanted it to be a more emotional movie,'' but that doesn't mean it's just a sweet melodrama. As was the case with his debut film `` Sex, Lies, and Videotape, '' which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the surface coldness and inner heat are exquisitely mixed, creating a film that evokes the aforementioned ``loneliness.'' It turned out to be a poem-like movie that stimulates emotions. I hope that even more people will understand this film as an introspective sci-fi movie that touches your heart even when you're going through a difficult time.

Reference materials:

"Solaris" DVD Commentary

Hayakawa Bunko “Solaris”, commentary by translator Mitsuyoshi Numano

The Atlantic “ 8 Films to Watch Right Now, According to Barry Jenkins ”

Text: Akira Murayama

Born in 1971. Writes articles for magazines, newspapers, movie sites, etc. Representative of “ShortCuts,” a review site for distribution-based works.

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