Solaris (2002)
Stark, sparse and austere, Steven
Soderbergh's remake of the 70's Russian flick "Solaris"
is one of the most compelling and complex sci-fi films
since "2001: A Space Odyssey." In fact, it is obvious
that Soderbergh is working from Kubrick's model here.
Not that his film is anywhere as enigmatic (except
it is) as Kubrick's master work or as specific (except
it is) as "2001." What I really mean is that Soderbergh
doesn't do genre-slumming, tribute or homage here.
He simply implements many of the same seemingly staid
and controlled techniques as Kubrick used. He brushes
from the same palette.
Wasting no time in set-up or even
opening credits, Soderbergh immediately delves into
the mystery of "Solaris." I'm sure other reviews and
the press hype for the film have already ruined the
plot for you. If not, well, it doesn't matter that
you don't know the plot. Watching it twist and turn
with no prior knowledge of what is going to happen
here would only make the film more effective. (I don't
know how modern artistic directors live with all this
marketing hype ruining the surprises of their films.
I really don't).
So, about the look of the film.
It is amazing. Set in space, the Set Design, Costume
Design and Art Direction are all wonderfully linear
and composed. This film just looks great. Soderbergh
obviously had no real budget constraints but saw that
his film needn't be high-tech and showy or overly
concerned with props and sets to work. Soderbergh,
in fact, is not presenting a sci-fi film as much as
a meditation on loss, loneliness, grief, shame, blame
and helplessness. His film is about the landscape
of the mind and so the landscape of his space-station
setting is minimalist and contrived to underscore
this.
Likewise, the computer generated
shots of the planet that the space station is circling,
the titular Solaris, are also gorgeous yet simplistic.
This film, to put it bluntly, looks cool as fuck.
Soderbergh hits it just right and his visuals consistently
propel the film and underscore its themes and storyline.
The music provided for the film's
score by Cliff Martinez, Soderbergh's consistent companion
on his film's soundtrack for several years now, is
just about the best of his career. Reminiscent of
Eno and Thomas Newman without every ripping them off,
Martinez creates an aural landscape that is as important
to the film as the austere ambient sound design of
the space station (again, emulating Kubrick's "2001").
His score here is perfection.
George Clooney has given the three
best performances of his career for Soderbergh, this
being the third. In many ways, some of his work here,
with costar Natascha McElhone, is reminiscent of his
work with Jennifer Lopez in "Out of Sight." Clooney
is in every scene, but his flirtatious and highly
intelligent scenes when first meeting McElhone's Rheya
are quite interesting and surely the most important
in the film. These scenes bubble with a romantic chemistry
and steep in an easiness that seems as naturalistic
as the actor's butt shots here. Clooney is simply
wonderful.
But the true star of Soderbergh's
"Solaris," is the script. Based on Stanislaw Lem's
Russian novel (also made into a Soviet film in 1972
by Andrei Tarkovsky), Soderbergh's script is a rumination
on existence, guilt, love and so much more. There
is a lot going on here thematically and Soderbergh
refuses to make the "science" and the "action" aspects
of the story (which could have constituted an even
more huge CGI budget) a primary concern. Instead he
takes a futuristic film set in deep space and explores
the very essence of what it means to be human, or
even more importantly, what it means to exist. Effective,
evocative, complex and poetic, the theme of the film,
like Kubrick's masterful "2001," may elicit different
ideas from different people about what really happens
in the plot. But even this is secondary to what it
means... Soderbergh may offer a resolution and an
answer to the film in its final scene, but he doesn't
spoonfeed it to us. And he leaves plenty of room for
our own impressions and ideas.
For many people this film will be
far to dull. Slowly-paced, almost actionless, and
emotionally and thematically complex, it is not your
typical holiday fare at the megaplex. But for the
adventurous there awaits a true masterpiece. This
film will be around for a long time in cinemaphile
culture and its passionate power will resonate with
the viewer long after the xenon bulb at the megaplex
has faded away...
Note:
Also with Jeremy Davies and Viola
Davis.
Producers include James Cameron
(who was once attached to direct) and Jon Landau.
At one time Daniel Day-Lewis was considered for the
lead. (I believe it was when Cameron was attached
as helmer).
Soderbergh edited the film down
from a longer original cut to appease the studio.
Filmed between May and July of 2002.
Soderbergh's 14th feature film since
1989. His output is on par with Fassbinder. The director
was said to be taking a break after directing "Solaris."
His next film, "The Informant," however, has a tentative
release date of 2003.
Viewed in Austin in November, 2002.
