ABSTRACT
Solaris is a sophisticated, multilayered art piece which – like other great psychologically orientated science fiction films (2001,Blade Runner,Dark City,Stalker) – deconstructs our notions of reality, knowing, desire and control. Andrei Tarkovsky’s original 1972 film placed considerable emphasis on the complex philosophical, scientific and conceptual ideas contained within the book by Stanislav Lem. Steven Soderbergh’s 2002 adaptation, however, principally elaborates a story of love, unrequitable loss and the attempts made to redeem or transform ourselves through relationship. It is this contemporary version I will be examining throughout this chapter.
