Solaris : The Consciousness in Outer Space | Renegade Cut

An analysis of the self, memory, consciousness and philosophy itself as they relate to the 1972 Andrei Tarkovsky science fiction film Solaris. Want to request an episode or support the show? Patreon: / renegadecut
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Released in 1972.
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When do we achieve personhood? Is it something we always have since the moment we are born, or is it something given to us by our interactions with others or the accumulation of memories? In the 1972 science fiction film Solaris, we drift through the questions - weightlessly, as if through space or floating across an ocean. Kris Kelvin is tasked with boarding the space station that orbits the remote planet of Solaris. When he arrives, he learns that one cosmonaut, Gibarian, has committed suicide, and the surviving men, Sartorious and Snaut, warn Kelvin that he may begin seeing things. Visitors to the station. These “visitors” are created through some phenomena of Solaris - reaching into the memories of the men on the space station and creating new people. The planet manifests Hari - a replicated version of Kelvin's deceased wife. He struggles with how much of the real Hari she could be, and she struggles with her improbable existence.
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[@ZeitlosProductions]

Wonderful analysis. Soviet Cinema really deserves this renewed interest.

[@lkmuks]

From what i rember tarkovki actually got grief for his movie by soviets

[@lkmuks]

I might be thinking about someone else tho

[@kinnikufan]

Well the book this movie is based on is pretty critical of the Soviet system (as many sci-fi novels and novels in general were at the time), so it wouldn't surprise me to learn the director of the film had similar feelings.

[@kaggykarr]

kinnikufan Where did you get that idea? Sci fi was very popular in USSR and Stanislaw Lem was very respected author, because he wrote true science fiction with heavy emphasis on "science", not like your american western sci fi which just mirrors modern times but with lazors and stuff)). Solaris actually got published in russian the same year it was in polish, and there were cuts, yes, but it was brief dialogues concerning god and how living ocean may seem godlike. Censorship had a thing for anything religious. Nevertheless, couple of years later it was published intact. TBH Lem was pretty critical of humanity as a whole.

[@djjamesporter4740]

Kaggy Karr I like how you attacked Western literature for no discernible reason other then to somehow bolster soviet literature on a higher pedestal. Nice job

[@ElectricSlevin]

this film was a huge surprise and I had to watch it in two sessions bc it was so unusually slow...but it's one of those few movies that are still stuck in my head, that doesn't happen with many movies...often I forget them right after watching but solaris and stalker were exceptional...i took something with me from those films, they're part of me now

[@LucidRay]

This film is so deep, and is about so many things. My interpretation is that Solaris is about being alone with your thoughts. It shows that being alone and thinking is good, but in Kelvins case, it can be dangerous to close off your emotions and rely solely on isolating yourself with just objective thpughts. There's a battle of the thinking vs feeling, the mind vs the heart. This is just my two cents, it's one of my top 10 favorite films of all time and you did a great job exploring all the themes and topics Solaris covers! Great video, man!

[@misery441]

I know I'm late, but I'd like to know which are your other nine favorites of all time.

[@lybaonaiz91]

same im in serious need of movie suggestions

[@bb1111116]

Great essay. 1972 "Solaris" was a shockwave in science fiction in terms of viewing highly intelligent artificially created beings. Prior to this, the robot/android was evil, an abomination & disposable. But "Solaris" looks at the boundary of the artificial being & humanity. Kelvin surrenders & accepts the 'humanness' of these creatures. After "Solaris", 1982 "Blade Runner" to the recent "Westworld" had to face these issues. Was the created being with human memories/feelings human?

[@niktej1114]

I think 2001 asked the same.. Is hal more human?

[@barrymoore4470]

@@niktej1114 I think this whole strain of tension between the authentically and artificially human stretches all the way back to Mary Shelley's seminal 1818 novel 'Frankenstein'. It's one of the preeminent themes in all of science fiction.

[@grahamrich3368]

Solaris -- what a film!! Truly an unforgettable story with an unmatchable atmosphere 👏👏

[@philosopher.d]

I would love to listen to Kubrick and Tarkovsky talk to each other about the greatest films ever made

[@bensagal-morris8072]

Dilan Ross Tarkovsky hated 2001: A Space Odyssey, so that might be awkward.

[@barrymoore4470]

@@bensagal-morris8072 'Solaris' has been seen as the Soviet answer to '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Both films share meditative qualities conducive to philosophizing, and both are masterpieces.

[@fernandomaron87]

Kubrick is overrated, Tarkvoksy is underrated

[@sid.469]

@@fernandomaron87 lol lol lol

[@TheTrueJuan]

Thank you so much for using certain philosophical concepts to demonstrate your points. It really helped with breaking down the themes of the film.

[@alicekliewer]

I've been waiting for you to cover this movie for a long time. I'm very glad you've finally done it!

[@JorgeLara1607]

While ago I read that Tarkovsky considered Solaris his worst film because of the restrictions he faced. Nonetheless I think is one of my favourites films ever.

[@Jacksonavenue00]

Jorge Lara it’s by far his worst film. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, just the least good of all his films

[@abdelkader9242]

All his movie are equally good but some of them are more equal then the others

[@niktej1114]

@@abdelkader9242 TBH I find Solaris better than stalker ..stalker is unsubtle and unambiguous

[@BrianOblivionB]

@@niktej1114 yeh stalker is kinda meh, dosen't make you think just kinda smacks you... a little preachy.

[@Gerguzalbutzelnikoskech]

@@Jacksonavenue00 Nah, it's his best, of what I've seen so far. I've seen Stalker, The Sacrifice, The Mirror and Solaris.

[@peybak]

The recent Solaris audiobook is worth a listen, if you liked the Tarkovsky film.

[@RADIOSUICIDIO]

As much as I like this movie I think I'm not alone if I say that It doesn't do justice to the Stanislaw Lem book: there's a whole epistemological/philosophical side that is barely contemplated: In the novel Solaris has been continuously studied for more than a century trying to define if it's alive and if it has conciousness or intelligence, with no conclusive answer. Entire schools of thought about it are explained an described as initially promising but eventually proven wrong, or just forgotten. And this has a lot to do with the way the characters are built and the strange way they interact with each other. They are facing something that could be the mind of God, an ocean of weird goo, or something in between, and they're pretty much aware that whatever is it, ultimately it's just way out of human concepts of intelligence.

[@hughiedavies6069]

Thanks for your review of the film and what it was about. The sacrifice is my favourite tarkovski film . , I'd only seen the Hollywood version of Solaris until a few weeks ago, tarkovski was something special if films were art , tarkovski would be the one everyone collected , he achieved cinematic art. philosophy, poetry and theatre.

[@kinnikufan]

I have yet to watch any of the adaptations of Solaris, but I have some very vivid memories of the book. It was a rather interesting story, but there were certain portions that got a little bogged down in the details. All-in-all I really liked it and I loved the idea of these "apparitions" having no awareness of their creation or purpose. It really is the planet experimenting on the cosmonauts, which at first seems rather sadistic, but over time you come to realize the planet is not malevolent, just curious. It wants to know who these aliens are and it decides to do so by watching their pasts unfold before it in the form of these memory creations. It isn't enough to see how they interact with one another, the planet wants to see how they interact with others who evoke the greatest emotional reactions. I highly recommend the book for those who haven't read it and if you're looking for a far bleaker, absurdist story about Soviet cosmonauts, then I recommend Omon Ra by Victor Pelevin. It's about their moon mission and it gets...dark.

[@pushparahi5681]

thank you

[@sayno2lolzisback]

This is the best video essay I've ever seen on KZbin. You genuinely seem like you know what you're talking about.

[@wrestlingbuff87]

Honestly, I loved this analysis on Solaris and has helped to redefine what I originally perceived it to be about. Originally, I looked at it as a reflection upon free will and the struggles of doing what you wish versus going against it but ultimately, that the choices you make have lasting consequences. Case with Kelvin going down to Solaris in hopes of getting what he wants but that it ultimately left him without as in Hari, the rain dripping through the house and the murky pond. Great video.

[@sockatume]

Have you read the book? I feel like you’d have interesting things to say about its epistemology. (Especially how it depicts the limitations of science in particular and academic investigation in general.)

[@TheSpellShell]

By the way, I heard rumors that Stanislav Lem (author) hated Tarkovsky's adaptation of his book

[@Zuzannaq]

More like he was disappointed, because the main themes of the book were somewhat different, the focus was really on contact with completely alien lifeform, though of course the horror aspect of the phantoms and the emotional and philosophical consequences of the phantoms were a strong element, but Tarkovsky's film basically focuses on Kelvin's emotional life. To the point where the whole sci-fi aspects of the movie may seem like a dream-like background for Kelvin's emotional breakthrough. Also the ending of the film is pretty much about love being more important than scientific quest for knowledge, which I don't think is what Lem's views were exactly. But it also happened that even Lem noticed that Solaris in Soviet Union was read in somewhat metaphysical way, so it could that was the aspect that stood out most for Soviet readers and Tarkovsky also perceived it that way. Tarkovsky even said he was most interested in ethical implications of the phantoms. And generally Lem was unprepared for his works to be interpreted not in the way we meant them to be, the screenplay modified the story, added many new elements etc. and Lem was really taken aback by that during his conversations with Tarkovsky. It seems like with time he grew to accept more that such changes are made, but he remained kinda bitter that filmmakers reinterpreted his story and always had to change it.

[@Themanwithn0eyes]

I've rented this movie a few weeks ago (ever since I've watched watchmojo's top Russian/Soviet film list (Plus Cinefix)pushed my interest in checking out their some of their cinema) and after watching it, while I did look at a couple of others dissect videos; I was waiting for you to do a video on this because, as said before, I love learning from you. Though I was kinda expecting you to do an Andrei Tarkovsky month.

[@Themanwithn0eyes]

Ah. Nevermind then. Can't wait to see the others. :)

[@Horror-Man]

I really hope you cover Unbreakable someday. Underrated masterpiece of the superhero genre.

[@bigchris2939]

Hooray for the 3rd installment of the trilogy GLASS !!!!! UNBREAKABLE-SPLIT-GLASS

[@wraithgames]

I was actually thinking about Solaris earlier today O_O

[@Themanwithn0eyes]

I saw it a couple weeks ago myself.

[@ntinakoulas]

me too

[@NoMastersNoMistress]

This is a Ship of Theseus puzzle and arguments related to that might shed more light on the puzzle posed in this film.

[@mathieugariepy2948]

Great video!

[@akashbalaji9776]

Awesome 👍

[@ononono7016]

Currently, the body is the person. But yeah, people are based on their memories, experiences. Technically, we are always becoming a newer self since we live through more time and it just happens to align with our past experiences. Amnesia is like a reset and neuroscience might explain how much you can remember your past self.

[@p3k1n0]

interesting, as always with your videos

[@Lrozzie]

This is such an amazing film, well deserving of an in-depth analysis. Have you ever seen the film "The ascent"(восхождение)?

[@brokley4]

yessss love this movie! psyched when i saw you covered it

[@jtastevin]

Superb analysis of my favorite movie...what's the music playing in the background of this video?

[@marcusa4476]

Am I the only one finding the pacing of this movie so moving?

[@grantbartley483]

Parfit takes Locke to his logical extremes by having twin brain splits, thus having two people out of the original one. They are both continuous with the original, but not the same; so what do you say about continuing personal identity in this case? Modification is needed.

[@themedia1271]

It's my personal headcannon that Solaris gives Harri back to Chris, and they both live happily ever after.

[@nyoodmono4681]

She does not fail any personality test. It is Kris who fails to accept her first because what can not be must not be.

[@Zakkarath]

wonderful review....

[@kevinbaker987]

Great video!!!

[@jimmy-breeze]

love Hegel

[@madame_weeb]

8:31 yes

[@thegardenoffragileegos1845]

This is a better assessment than Zizek's.

[@rwest3955]

Idk i feel like Zizek has a different angle on it

[@reluctantenthusiast]

The only way to fully understand and appreciate Hegel is to put his writings into perspective. Although deliberately cryptic, all of Hegel's writings delineate social engineering. Without this key to understanding, one can only skim the surface of Hegel's meaning.

[@reluctantenthusiast]

And even with this key to understanding, fully deciphering The Philosophy of Right isn't a given for most. But with this key you've at least got a shot at it.

[@Michael-pf8we]

Hari is smoking hot

[@martinvannostrand8488]

Here I am thinking that episode of Black Mirror was totally original

[@fernandomaron87]

Watch The Twilight Zone, have fun!

[@praveenkumar-qz5rk]

George Clooney version such an embarrassment after watching Tarkovsky ...

[@Zuzannaq]

Why? Imho both films are good, it's just they are somewhat different takes on the motives from the book. I think people are too critical of 'The Clooney version', because they see it as some sort of failed attempt to be better than Tarkovsky, while to me it is just a good sci-fi film: it has more of the spooky suspense and tension that was such an important aspect of the book, also they showed a real care creating backstory of Kris and Harey. Tarkovsky's film is more poetic, and Soderbergh's is more... idk, realistic. Also the films were made in different times and different countries. And both films really focus on Kelvin's emotional reaction to Harey's phantom, which was not the intention of the author of the original book at all.

[@peterpetrov4809]

Solaris vs 2001 A Space Odyssey what do you think?

[@niktej1114]

2001

[@barrymoore4470]

Both are masterpieces with their own distinctive qualities, but I tend to prefer the quieter and gentler tone of 'Solaris'.

[@sagniknath5537]

I was always of the opinion that the manifested Hari was NEVER the original Hari even if her husband were able to recapture everything about her personality from his memory for Solaris to use to create the clone. This ties in to my view that the Self is actually not even tied to your memories let alone your physical body. In the end, all our thoughts themselves, and our consciousness, are outcomes of our brain's biochemistry and thus very much material matter. In a sort of metaphysical light, I'd place the Self as being completely separate from the material body.

[@philmcclenaghan7056]

Saying memories are considered life is such academic bs. Plants have no memory but are alive. If we are looking for the definition of life, it's not memories.

[@levitationproductions1428]

This film is like Star Wars, but, you know, for chumps.

[@Renegen1]

really well explained, but boy was this movie boring.

[@Zuzannaq]

You may like the book better, it's short and to-the-point.

[@AtticTapes14]

@@Zuzannaq Clooney version is better

[@maler771]

Nope solaris is about a world trough madman eyes and the way of how he in philosofical and art creations tries to find reality. But as being demaged human being he has to accept the living in suffering to be accepted in society and family as equal.

[@AtticTapes14]

CLOONEY VERSION WAY BETTER

[@aidanlastname0187]

No

[@fernandomaron87]

Said no one

[@RusticaHouse]

From reading the comments I had an impression that the autor Stanisław Lem was Russian. He was a polish autor who published over 40 books, not all of them were translated to other languages.