A slow, contemplative sci-fi, made in the 70s with decades of critical acclaim, sounds just perfect to me. So why after nearly 3 hours of watching a flimsy Russian love story set in space am I left feeling wandering what the fuss was about?
Classic art seems to reach an almost untouchable status at times, safe from criticism that can harm it and powerful enough to ensure it is you left wondering why you are just not getting it. There was a point during Solaris where that thought crossed my mind, before the frustration and outright boredom wrapped around me like my favourite duvet.
Solaris wants to ask some big questions about mankind and our purpose, our goals and failures…