Solaris and Other Things
Posted in Film on December 1st 2002 by Randy ReichardtI saw Solaris on Saturday, and the film moved me considerably. It’s a remake of the 1972 film of the same name, based on the book by Stanislaw Lem, which I’ve not read. The film is about a psychiatrist who is summoned to a space station orbiting the planet Solaris, on which strange events have taken place – each member of the crew has a “visitor”, someone from their past.
The film begins as a straightforward narrative, but then moves away from a linear story line. Despite the sf setting, it feels more like a love story, and it moves at the same pace as 2001: A Space Odyssey, my all-time favorite movie. Fifteen minutes into the film I was smiling, feeling the heavy influence of that film on director Stephen Soderbergh (which he has also acknowledged). Like 2001, it does not answer any questions, leaving the viewer wondering what just happened. For me, the film’s feel was very much 2001, and I loved it for that reason. The music, feel, (even a line uttered by Natasha McElhone taken right from 2001), the pace, all evoked Kubrick’s masterpiece for me. The non-obvious ending is puzzling and frustrating, but the film is worth the effort. There are no fast-moving spaceships, no aliens per se, no phasers. Expect the unexpected.
I had an otherwise quiet weekend. I attended a apartment warming party on Saturday night at my friend Elan’s place, and it was nice – I knew no one there, yet found her friends to be warm, delightful and interesting. I also hung out after work on Friday at the Power Plant with friends, and I enjoyed that a lot.
There are some beautiful and amazing women in this town…
