You are all I see
For the beautiful and somber month of DecemberII decided to chose Solaris, hugely under appreciated and misunderstood movie directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film, based on brilliant and difficult novel by Stanisław Lem, focuses on just one part of the story - the love the protagonist Chris and his now deceased wife Rheya share.
Some time after Rheya commits suicide, Chris is called by his friend and asked to fly to mysterious ocean-like planet Solaris. The ship that was investigating the planet had some trouble on board and when Chris gets there he finds out the truth - some of the crew members were driven insane because the planet has the mysterious ability to duplicate their loved ones who died. During his first night on the ship, Chris wakes up next to Rheya. Though he gets rid of her first duplicate, when she comes back again he finds himself unable to let go of his love.
Solaris is a beautiful love story and stunning movie - the cinematography and Soderbergh's direction really came together in a form of otherworldly atmosphere and delicate, yet passionate tale of love lost and second chances. The film has an amazing music composed by Cliff Martinez (who scored last year's Drive) which only adds to the film's immense beauty. Both George Clooney and Natasha McElhone are perfectly cast and deliver great performances and the visuals of both the planet Solaris, bursting with colors, and Earth, swallowed by greys of the sky and rain, are unforgettable.
There aren't many movies out there that capture the strength of the miracle that is love - science fiction romances do it very often, as the characters in them are able to cross the conventional barriers of death and space and find themselves in unique and miraculous situations where the strength of their love can truly be experienced. Solaris is one of such remarkable films.
Review of the movie - HERE
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While I much prefer Tarkovsky's version, I still think this is an excellent sci-fi film.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it! It's so underrated.
DeleteGood review Sati. I didn't love this movie, but with a stylish direction from Soderbergh that, in a way, reminded me a lot of 2001, the story picks-up enough speed with it's air of mystery and suspense. Not perfect, but still very intriguing for what it is.
ReplyDeleteSoderbergh's direction was really wonderful here, I really hope he rethinks his retirement plans.
DeleteWhat gorgeous pics you chose here, Sati. I've been wanting to see Solaris in a while. I quite like McElhone and sci-fi romances, so I really should rent this real soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope you'll like this one when you watch it, it's really a remarkable movie and it's one of the best recent sci-fi romances.
DeleteWhat a gorgeous post -- beautiful writing and lovely images. This was on my "to see" list at one point and somehow it fell off. It sounds like exactly the kind of film I'd love. I'm adding it to my watchlist as we speak.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I really hope you'll enjoy this one, it's really very beautiful.
DeleteGreat post. I know this is going to sound odd to many film buffs, but I prefer the remake over the original. Watching the original feels like a chore, and a task. Soderbergh's version was more coherent and I thought the action and characters were better paced
ReplyDeleteThanks! I must say I prefer it to the original too, the fact they focused on this part of the book was really great, since it's such a complex novel and it would be tough to translate everything on screen.
DeleteVery underrated film. The concept is certainly a haunting one, but one with warmth as well.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree! i really wish more people appreciated this film.
DeleteYour photos make me want to re-watch this. Wow! They’re stunning!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteBeautiful imagery, which reminds me to still check out the original version.
ReplyDeleteThe original version is a great film as well, it has brilliant cinematography too and some of the shots in the two films are very similiar.
DeleteOoh, this looks so good. Rented this years ago and never watched it. After I catch up on some more 2012 films, I need to watch this and the 1972 version.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll find the time to check it out, it's really a wonderful film, one of Soderbergh's best.
DeleteI totally dismissed this as standard sci-fi fare with not much to it. Sounds like I should I think about checking it out. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteI think you'll like it, there is a lot of substance in the movie. Thanks!
DeleteDamn, this is another one I still need to see. Haven't seen the other Solaris either. Loved the images you selected, though!
ReplyDeleteThank you! You should see both films, they're great!
DeleteI saw this long before seeing the original and I really liked it. I'm a massive Soderbergh fan and his eye here is astonishing. When I finally caught Tarkovky's version I was blown away but I've been aching to rewatch this ever since.
ReplyDeleteGlad to read you liked it!
DeleteI love the hell out of this movie, and am one of the very few people who actually prefers it to the original. Soderbergh's direction, cinematography, editing - christ, it's just so perfect.
ReplyDeleteBit of trivia: did you know Soderbergh shot many of the silent sequences in reverse, then played them reverse, so they appeared to be moving in the right way? That's confusing. Okay, he actually had the actors walk backwards then reversed their movements in editing. Crazy shit. So surreal.
I prefer it to the original too :) It just speaks to me on so many levels and the fact it focuses on romance/mortality angle made it so moving to me.
DeleteI did know that, it's fascinating that he came up with that - the cinematography and the whole atmosphere of the movie is one of the reasons it's one of my favorite films.