Solaris (2002)

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Movie
German title Solaris
Original title Solaris
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2002
length 99 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
JMK 12
Rod
Director Steven Soderbergh
script Steven Soderbergh
production James Cameron ,
Jon Landau ,
Rae Sanchini
music Cliff Martinez
camera Steven Soderbergh
(as Peter Andrews)
cut Steven Soderbergh
(as Mary Ann Bernard)
occupation

Solaris is a film adaptation of the science fiction novel Solaris by the Polish author Stanisław Lem by Steven Soderbergh from 2002 . This is the second film adaptation of the novel for the cinema audience after the now famous film from 1972 , in which Andrei Tarkovsky directed.

action

Psychologist Chris Kelvin is sent to a research station orbiting the planet Solaris. His friend, the astronaut Gibarian, asked him in a secret video message to help the crew without specifying the problem. When Kelvin reaches Solaris, Gibarian is no longer alive. The physicist Dr. Gordon and the unstable-looking Snow. Kelvin also glimpses a little boy, allegedly Gibarian's son.

The two astronauts are mentally very weak, exhausted and confused. They tell Kelvin that Gibarian took his own life. But before they can give Chris any further information, he experiences the problem first hand: In his sleep he dreams vividly of his late wife Rheya. Chris initially had a very happy relationship with Rheya on earth. However, it is suggested that Rheya had mental health problems. After Rheya terminated a pregnancy without his knowledge, an argument broke out. As a result, Chris left his wife, who then committed suicide.

The dream on the Solaris station is now mixed with reality, and when he wakes up, Rheya lies alive next to him as if nothing had happened. Chris is horrified, first questions the apparition and then sends it away in a capsule. The next morning she is back, but her memories and identity are not those of Rheya. She doesn't remember the capsule, she only remembers parts of her life on earth that Chris knows, and she is very confused about who she is. That's because, while she has memories, she doesn't feel like she really is that Rheya from his memories. She also seems immortal - after attempting suicide, her wounds heal in seconds.

Yet she seems to love Chris and he loves her. She is actually present and can also be perceived by the two other astronauts like a normal person. The situation comes to a head with “Rheyas” and Chris' internal conflicts. He vigorously contradicts the objections of Dr. Gordon, “Rheya” is not a real living being, but only his manifest memory of her, and he should not come into her influence. Ultimately, “Rheya” herself realizes that - even if she is capable of feelings - she is not the real Rheya. Without notifying Chris beforehand, she makes the decision to contact one of Dr. Gordon constructed Higgs apparatus to be "killed" for good. Chris is frustrated. He had hoped to relive his relationship with Rheya and make up for his mistakes.

Kelvin later discovers Gibarian's hidden body, and he and Gordon confront Snow. It turns out that Snow has no memories of how he got to the station either. He is therefore not a person, but a manifestation of memories, just like Gibarian's son. When he appeared, he was attacked by Gibarian and killed him in self-defense.

As the station is getting closer and closer to the planet and has no more energy reserves, Chris and Gordon make their way back to Earth on Snow's advice. After that, Kelvin is apparently back home and discovers that his wounds are now healing in a matter of seconds. He remembers not following Gordon into the saving capsule, but instead staying behind in the station falling into the "planet". Accordingly, he is not on earth, but in a hallucinated environment fed from his memories. When he asks whether he is alive or dead, Rheya enters the room and replies that such questions no longer need to play a role for either of them.

Differences between film and novel

Soderbergh deviated from the core theme of the original novel in his interpretation. In his film adaptation, he brings Chris Kelvin's relationship with his late wife Harey (Rheya in the English version of the book) to the fore. He is concerned with the question: "What distinguishes a person from the memories we have of them?" This question is wrapped up in a very emotional love story.

Like the famous film adaptation of the novel by Andrei Tarkowski , the author Stanisław Lem also strongly rejected the version of Soderbergh. In an interview with Galore magazine in 2005, he said that he hadn't seen the film in full, but what he saw was enough for him:

"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense. Everything that was interesting about my novel was related to the relationship between humans and this ocean as a non-humanoid intelligence - not to any interpersonal love stories. "

- Stanisław Lem in an interview with Patrick Großmann : Galore, No. 17

Trivia

  • In the film, the writer Dylan Thomas is mentioned and his poem "And death shall have no dominion" is quoted.
  • Originally, Day-Lewis was intended for the role of Chris Daniel , but he declined.
  • Ulrich Tukur applied for the role of Gibarian with a video that only showed his dog how he reacted to the audition of his role.
  • The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.
  • The film was shown for the first time in Germany on February 8, 2003 as part of the Berlinale .

Reviews

Christoph Huber from allesfilm.com criticizes the reduction of Lem's original to the love story of the two main actors:

“Whether the whole story is captivating or even understandable for someone who has neither met Lem nor Tarkovsky is an open question: The secondary threads of the plot simply fizzle out in the ethereal void [...], the core is clear. Soderbergh (also author and cameraman, as the latter clearly the most successful) has obviously realized that he is not a great thinker, confines himself primarily to the love story: [...] "

Carsten Baumgardt from filmstarts.de sees the strengths of the film only in its formal implementation:

“The picture collages that Soderbergh offers the beholder are certainly beautiful, but they do not contribute anything to the development of the plot. Cliff Martinez's score supports the opulent images adequately, but what good is all of this if 'Solaris' has nothing to offer in terms of content. "

Lutz Gräfe and Jürgen Wimmer write in the book "The Science Fiction Year 2003":

“... almost perfect cinema: a story condensed down to the essence that lives mainly from the images, the music and the montage ... a reflection on the encounter with yourself, on how you can still be yourself on the edge of the universe encountered; after all, you always take yourself with you. "

Awards

  • Berlinale 2003
    • Nominated: Golden Bear - Steven Soderbergh
  • Central Ohio Film Critics Association 2003
    • Nominated: Best Film (6th place)
  • Irish Film and Television Awards 2003
    • Nominated: Best Actress - Natascha McElhone
  • Satellite Awards 2003
    • Best sound - Larry Blake
    • Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Jeremy Davies
  • Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award 2002
    • Biggest disappointment

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for Solaris . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , January 2003 (PDF; test number: 92 781 K).
  2. ↑ Age rating for Solaris . Youth Media Commission .
  3. ^ Stanisław Lem, Patrick Großmann: Intelligence is a razor . Interview. In: Galore . tape 17 , 2005 ( online at lem.pl ).
  4. ↑ Christoph Huber on allesfilm.com
  5. ↑ Carsten Baumgardt on filmstarts.de
  6. ↑ In: The Science Fiction Year 2003 , ed. by Wolfgang Jeschke and Sascha Mamczak, ISBN 3-453-87049-2 , p. 326f