Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky)
For our individual assignment, I was given the film Solaris to watch. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, the same man who directed The Mirror, Solaris is a film based off of the science fiction novel by Stanislaw Lem. The story revolves around a mysterious planet and a psychologist who decides to re-spark the exploration of it and to check with the few remaining members aboard a previous expedition flight. This main character, Kris Kevin, while living on the aircraft with the other members begins to experience various and unexplainable phenomena. The whole film has a very unique, futuristic vibe to it, fitting for a Tarkovsky film. Yet it was much more confusing of a plot than I anticipated (and much longer too!).
Just like The Mirror that we watched in class, you can tell immediately that this is a work of Tarkovsky. The capitalization of natural elements such as waves and (the dripping of) water, snow, sunlight, shadows, etc. have constant appearances throughout the film. As seen in class, we also get an amazingly futuristic shot of Tokyo, Japan in 1971, a scene that lasts for quite a while. But with all of the amazing shots also comes a bombardment of perplexing scenes and allusions that make understanding the film a struggle at some points. There still is that feeling of what is going on? that stays with the film even until the very end.
A few notable things the viewer can pull away from this film however, one of them being the moral issues related to science. Towards the beginning of the film Berton and Kris argue about the advancement of science and at what cost that knowledge is worth. Is there a limit? Or in the name of science does the knowledge outweigh the cost?
Solaris was overall a very interesting film, and with prior context of the plot I think could make for a very enjoyable film. Without context, the story can feel jumbled and confusing. Regardless, it is a good viewing experience that will likely remain with me for many years to come, as one would expect from a Tarkovsky film!
Andrew
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