Analysis of the Film Solaris by Steven Soderbergh - Essay Example

The Film Solaris Solaris is one of the films in the science fiction category that has had a great impact on the viewers. The reason for this is the fact that the film incorporates various dramatic scenes and twists that change the reactions of the audience. The film has reputation of having intrigued over 70% of the viewers. It is critical to go through the film in a deeper perspective for it offers more insight on the idea that the creator had in its production. Solaris is a movie acted in a manner that foresees the future and the two settings of the film are earth and the outer space on planet Solaris. The film unsettles the audience in very many ways. The first instant where it does this is the part where Kelvin gets to the station and discovers that Gibarian has committed suicide (Solaris, 2002). This is unsettling because death or the visualization of a body is very uncomfortable. Moreover, it is unsettling as it signs to show that the film would have many such scary scenes and thus they become uncomfortable due to uncertainty. The next unsettling is seen not long after this as Kelvin goes around the station and sees many bodies. This is bound to make the audience even more uncomfortable to the site. The techniques used to achieve this unsettling is through the use of visual effects. In such a site where there are many bodies, dim light is used with several flashes of maximum light to show the large amount of bodies in the station. The lights dim again and this is used to instill some form of rush on the viewer because a dim light in an area with many bodies is bound to scare the ordinary human. Another element included in order to enhance such an uneasy scene is by zooming. As the movie progresses, parts where there are bodies present are zoomed in and this is quite uncomfortable for the site of a body is not appealing. This zooming is also used to frighten young children watching the movie for children fear death. Sound is the vastly used technique in the achievement of unsettling the audience. There are parts of the film that are calm, and even some soft music is played in the background. However, other sections of the film there exists suspense and the audience is anxious to understand what will happen next. During such times, the type of music played is quite high toned and fast. Combination of the two makes the section even scarier. At the scene Kelvin and Gordon found the stashed away body of Snow, they are surprised and shocked. Prior to finding the body, the sound produced is quite calm as a signaling of normality. However, upon seeing the body, the sound changes and this is quite a quality technique for it keeps the audience active and the predictability of the film reduces. Sound is also used to show compassion in terrifying scenes. Monochrome is having one aspect of color and basically it is usually black or white. In instances where there is only the use of black and white together in a setting, this is also known as monochrome. Shifting to black and white enables in identifying that the viewers are moving to an ancient scene. The use of this concept has been made in different areas in the film and the most popular and the first of them all is the point where Kelvin wakes up from his dream where he finds his late wife lying next to him and in perfect condition. This is a point that critically portrays the essence of black and white. Moreover, it enables one to differentiate between reality and illusion. Reality is what is covered in most parts of a film and thus is usually colored. However, illusion comes in as black and white because it is in rare parts of a film. Tokyo is a city known for its diversity and the presence of different people bearing varying characteristics. In the film, there is the point where there is a shot of Tokyo. The importance of showing this city is the fact that the director intends to capture the attention of the audience by showing such a beautiful city. Moreover, he shows different people calm in the city and carrying out their activities. The bright lights make a person understand that this is modern Tokyo. Effective relation of the natives shows evolution. The movie engages deeply in alien life where there are very few humans and the silence in the area is quite astounding (Read, 2011). This is another reason as to why the director did this, as a sign of disparity. There are many differences between modern day Tokyo and the life seen in outer space. The life in space is calm despite the fact that it is evolved more than that of Tokyo. The difference in the forms of life is also quite noticeable, and this is because the life in Space is quiet while the life in Tokyo is busy and noisy. It is this difference that the director wanted the viewer to acknowledge,understanding the variations in life and consequently appreciating modern life form on earth. There is a very huge difference between modern day Tokyo and the Tokyo that existed during the Soviet Union reign. The modern day Tokyo is very developed, and this is seen from the manner in which it has developed and the streets look swift with minimal damages. However, this would be different from the soviet reign and this is because during this time, there were many different groups, there were people who were for communism while there were some people that did not support the reign by the Soviets and opted for Capitalism. This thus brought around many feuds amongst the inhabitants of Tokyo and many times they got into fights where they would attack buildings and mess the streets (Mitchelle, 2011). Modern day Tokyo is very different and clean. Another difference is regarding the relations between people. Tokyo is the capital city of Japan and thus the hub for very many activities and visitors. In modern day Tokyo, people from ancient countries such as the United States roam freely and engage with others in an effort to get acquainted and learn more from each other (Morrow, 2011). This is a noble spirit that is quite appreciated. However, ancient Tokyo was different where the Soviets would not allow Americans into the country as they said it would lead to the spread of capitalism in the country. An alien is a general term that bears different meanings. One definition of an alien is an extraterrestrial being that exists outside earth and has life. The other definition of an alien is an unwelcomed visitor in a certain location who is different from the natives in certain aspects. There exists true alienness but this is in the case of the latter definition where it is normal for a person to visit a place where he/she is unwanted. However, in the case of an alien being an extraterrestrial being, this is wrong for it is very difficult for other beings to exist outside earth given the fact that earth is the only place that offers all the required supplements to support life. Lack of any of these supplements has the repercussion of the being failing to survive. Despite this, there have been latest results that there are some planets such as mars that have had the ability to support some form of life but the full details are yet to be analyzed and recorded. If the details are unique, then the alien communicates with the scientists in the space station through different means. One of the ways through which it does this is by making gestures. Continuous gestures are bound to mean something important and consequently it is the work of the scientist to liaise with other scientists in the determination of the message that the alien intended delivered. From this explanation, it is clear to state that the alien does not communicate in the same manner as human beings and thus it is very difficult for an ordinary human being to understand what it is they intend to convey. Solaris is a movie that offers great insight on different aspects of human life. The movie has had the ability to show different stylistic devises present in the field of film. It has had the ability to portray to offer insight on science fiction and this is done quite extensively given the setting of some parts of the movie is in a space station. Moreover, it has assisted in connecting with the past and this is shown through flashbacks present in the film. References Solaris [Motion picture]. (2002). Manufactured and distributed by Shock. Read, P. (2011). Restoration of Motion Picture Film.London: Oxford University Press. Mitchelle, C. (2013). Tales of Today’s Japan.Chicago: Chicago University Press. Morrow, A. (2011).Along the Ancient Routes.New York: Palgrave McMillan. Read More