Review of Solaris (2002) by Jack G — 29 Jun 2010

Really mesmerized by this film. I've seen Tarkovsky's original, which probably gave me the advantage to understanding the narrative over someone who hasn't. Given that, I probably still would have gotten lost in the atmosphere, even if I hadn't.

The ambient score complimented by the minimalist coverage and romantic visuals, and the fluidity of the fragmented scenes, with the help of Soderbergh's brilliant editing reminiscent of what he did in Traffic.

I think this rivals his best work, and may be, along with Schizopolis, my personal favorite by him. Certainly one of the most visceral, but at the same time cerebral, love stories I've ever seen. And yet, it does not stray from Soderbergh's personal recurring themes of truth, illusion, and the way humans communicate with one another.

He wants us to ask ourselves, can we ever be in love with anything other than the lie we create in others? Is love just an illusion that cannot be explored to its fullest? A false promise? I guess we're all doomed to failure when we put all of our hopes in love.

And, like La Jetee (which I saw remnants of in this, in scene after scene of philosophical meandering), the story goes to those impossible places the idea of love makes us believe aren't impossible.

"Though lovers be lost, love shall not.".