The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Gems: Solaris (1972)

How do you choose what to watch on all those streaming services you have access to? There are so many options that it is just overwhelming. These services constantly release new content and overshadow all the great films from the past that are already there and ready to watch. Now there is The Wasteland Gems! Here is a great film on streaming right now that you should check out this weekend:

Solaris (1972)

Who is one of the most underappreciated legends of filmmaking that crafted some of the most impressive films of the 60s and 70s? Andrei Tarkovsky. This filmmaker made some of the most genre defining films in science fiction. He was also the defining director in Russian cinema and still one of the only Russian filmmakers to transcend culture and leave an impact on global cinema. Tarkovsky was not a filmmaker who would make it easy on you either. There is a darkness looming and somber atmosphere that permeates throughout his films. There are deeply humanistic themes and ideas that Tarkovsky would explore through deeply surreal and artful cinematic experiences. One of his greatest achievements in Tarkovsky’s career was 1972’s Solaris.

What makes Solaris such a touchstone in arthouse cinema? This is one of the most visually arresting and thought-provoking cinematic experiences you will ever have. Tarkovsky’s Solaris is the Russian 2001 for a reason. There is a dreamlike aura around the film that reinforces the motifs of blurred reality. What is real and what is fantasy is a key component to this film. There is something otherworldly and unknowable echoing from a planet below. Its effects on a space station are the main crux of what this film really is. Fracturing reality makes for some of the most eerie and unforgettable visuals in film. The richest yellow tint that looms over every frame makes this film so haunting to look at. There are moments on a lakeside estate that feel so simple yet haunting. The final shot of the film is striking, shocking, and something that is hauntingly poignant. Tarkovsky does not shy away from the darkest with visuals of horrific death. There are few films that will deliver both the shocking aftermath of violence as well as the contemplative feeling of driving on Soviet highways for a prolonged period.

But what is the core of the film that makes it feel so resonant? This is a confusing and thought-provoking piece of cinema but there is something knowable and relatable at the core of it. For audiences to truly connect to a film, there needs to be something of emotional resonance. The artfulness of the film can extract that feeling or it can be the thematic or narrative beats that shine through. For Tarkovsky, loss and grief are at the core of the film. A psychologist is sent to a space station above a mysterious planet to find out what has driven the whole crew insane. But when Kris Klevin (our psychologist) finds his way to this place, he is confronted by his dead wife. Or at least…a projection or embodiment of her. The tension of the film is centered around the struggle of this man who must decide to live in this lie or confront the truth. There is something deeply moving and complex about this journey in Solaris and that makes the film so rewarding.

Are you ready for something challenging and engaging? This film is a towering achievement of science fiction and filmmaking in general. Donatas Banionis and Natalya Bondarchuk are a dynamic duo that breathe humanity, feeling, and emotion into a complex cinematic construct. A claustrophobic ship. An enormous mystery looms down below. A deep human conflict deepens the experience. There are plenty of complex emotions, themes, visuals, and narrative beats that thread together into a cinematic mosaic. Tarkovsky has made some of the greatest films of all time and elevated Russian filmmaking more than anyone. The best films out there are some work (intellectually, emotionally, and visually) and that is 100% true when it comes to Solaris.

Solaris is streaming on MAX.