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Solaris

Play trailer Poster for Solaris PG Released Mar 20, 1972 2h 49m Sci-Fi Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 67 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
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Solaris

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Critics Consensus

Solaris is a haunting, meditative film that uses sci-fi to raise complex questions about humanity and existence.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Olsen Los Angeles Times The film has a hypnotic pull, drawing the viewer deeper and deeper into its enigmatic adventure by crafting a world all its own. May 18, 2017 Full Review Clayton Dillard Slant Magazine Andrei Tarkovsky's pacing is less moved by narrative detail than thematic and metaphorical suggestion. Rated: 2.5/4 May 6, 2017 Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker Tarkovsky's speculative visions enfold the mysteries of death and rebirth, the lost paradise of childhood, the power of art to define identity, the menace of science as destructive vanity ... Jun 16, 2014 Full Review JD Duran InSession Film The film's pacing will be a drudge for some audiences and perhaps Tarkovsky could have trimmed back a bit but the patience he demands has purpose. The imagery, details and spiritual beauty of this film will have a big payoff... Rated: A Aug 1, 2024 Full Review Dave Giannini InSession Film Tarkovsky, in this moment, and throughout the runtime, forces us to face the fact that we are so focused on our great triumphs, that we forget the people we have lost and where our focus should be. Rated: A- Feb 28, 2024 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …as philosophical as sci-fi gets, Solaris is a meditation, deeply rewarding on a spiritual level… Rated: 5/5 Aug 31, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Virgo V Solaris (Solyaris) is a 1972 Soviet psychological science fiction film based on Stanisław Lem's 1961 novel of the same title. The film was co-written and directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and stars Donatas Banionis and Natalya Bondarchuk. The electronic music score was performed by Eduard Artemyev and features a composition by J.S. Bach as its main theme. The plot centers on a space station orbiting the fictional planet Solaris, where a scientific mission has stalled because the skeleton crew of three scientists have fallen into emotional crises. Psychologist Kris Kelvin (Banionis) travels to the station to evaluate the situation, only to encounter the same mysterious phenomena as the others. Solaris won the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d'Or. It received critical acclaim and is often cited as one of the greatest science fiction films in the history of cinema. The film was Tarkovsky's attempt to bring greater emotional depth to science fiction films. He viewed most Western works in the genre, including the recently released 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), as shallow due to their focus on technological invention. Some of the ideas Tarkovsky expresses in this film are further developed in his film Stalker (1979). Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/04/25 Full Review Sam N I expected Soviet 2001: A Space Odyssey but got a therapy session with a sentient ocean instead. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/04/24 Full Review Audience Member Far too artsy for me. Couldn't find the motivation to keep paying attention to this one. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/22/24 Full Review Der I Really interesting philosophical questions (what is real, how to deal with your own thoughts), but in a very slow manner. You have to be prepared for nearly three hours of no action. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/06/24 Full Review Joseph M I yawned into my trousers. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/28/24 Full Review Fer S I did not enjoy it. I thought the plot took a disappointing and not interesting path. I found it unnecessarily long. The ending was good, but it did not make up for everything else. There was also one scene that was totally unrealistic. Would have been nice if Tarkovsky had asked an engineer how hot a rocket's exhaust actually is. The acting is good and the scenography was nice. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Solaris

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Movie Info

Synopsis A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
Director
Andrei Tarkovsky
Producer
Viacheslav Tarasov
Screenwriter
Fridrikh Gorenshteyn, Stanislaw Lem, Andrei Tarkovsky
Distributor
Image Entertainment Inc., Criterion Collection, Fox Lorber
Production Co
Unit Four
Rating
PG
Genre
Sci-Fi, Drama
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 20, 1972, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
May 12, 2017
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 21, 2009
Runtime
2h 49m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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