Soderberg's take on 'Solaris'.

The other day I felt like I had one of those revelatory moments. I was sitting there watching a film I've seen too many times. I was heading out of 'casual film watcher' and into the sad and humiliating territory of 'sci-fi buff'. Oh well. I suppose that was destined to be, since I was spell-bound by 'Star Wars' when I was very little. Since then I've been groomed (reluctantly, I should add) to acquire this role through endless (and usually tacky) Star Wars merchandise in every birthday and xmas present. Only upon becoming an adult have I finally been given the sole discretion as to which route to take in filling George Lucas' horribly distended pockets. Anyway, back to a film just as epic, but in the vastness of the 'human condition' instead of the emptiness of space.

At first viewing I, along with critics and audiences of all kinds worldwide hated this film. To me it was because of the infuriatingly pompous 'atheistic' philosophising of some of the characters; the suicidally dull and stationary plot that never seemed to move beyond the feelings of the main character; the lack of anything that characterises a science fiction film. But somehow I went back for a second sitting. And that was when I realised that there was far more to it then that.

This is part of what I felt God was saying to me through that film:

The nature of Solaris and Christianity.
As G.Barian says in the film: 'We're not looking for new worlds, we're looking for mirrors.' Considering this quote, I thought that the other planets may be symbols of people or things that we look towards to interact with. But, being mirrors, it may be that we seek our own reflections in them. Someone or something to identify with and thus feel accepted.
But the reason why this film, like the space station, gravitates around Solaris (a planet, for want of a better word) is because it is the most difficult mirror of them all to look into. And this may be because of its true reflection. I found that in someways to be a manifestation of Christ or the Holy Spirit. Before we can truly accept Jesus' as the Way Truth and Life, we must first see our reflection. At first look, it may be difficult to accept the sinful image of our sinful natures and imperfection staring back at us. Calvin came to realise that when Solaris recreated his dead wife, it was showing him how incomplete his memory was of her, and that there was more to her than he had chosen to remember. But even with such realisations, all of the crew failed to move past this mirror. One locked their 'visitor' away and then destroyed it; one tried to kill it in a feral fit of rage; one killed himself; and Calvin wanted to use a facsimile as a way of atoning for his unloving hand in her suicide many years before.
It was this that helped him to 'get past the mirror'. But with Calvin, as with Christianity, trying to redeem yourself is a doomed attempt. Rhea (his wife's facsimile) had to sacrifice herself (even at his unhinged protests) in order for him to properly let go of her memory. And it was only then that he would come to realise that he had no affinity for earth any more. And this meant he could choose Solaris - like choosing heaven over the world. And the last words uttered are "Am I dead, or alive?" "We don't have to think like that anymore. Everything has been forgiven. Everything."
God used it to illustrate the an abstract nature behind The Gospel, and there is still far more to this film than I just described.

And what of the infuriatingly pompous 'atheistic' philosophising I hear you groan?
A scene from back on earth involves G.Barian, Calvin and others sitting to a meal in some swankily dark lit restaurant and ambushing Rhea (whilst still alive, thankfully) on God not existing. Interestingly, Calvin is the only one to actually argue his point. The others merely theorise on why humans believe in God, not even recognising the presence of someone who sincerely believes there is one. One person comments that God is merely dreamed up by men. I found it ironic as Solaris manages to reverse that view for two of the foremost sceptics who sat at that table. Both G.Barian and Calvin end up witnessing Solaris 'dreaming up' figures from their lives with ease. Maybe saying that we could be the earth's dream (G.Barian asking Calvin later: "Am I a puppet? Or maybe you're a puppet. Only you believe you are real."). But I take Solaris to be more than a planet. It shows that we are created by God and His Word and His Voice, not the other way round.