This is a real stem cell of a movie – you can just pile on whatever philosophy you want to, it really is that vague. It’s one of those movies I like to call “visual poems”, there’s such a sense of the individual pieces of film being specifically pieced together and every single cell being thought about in detail.

It’s either 2001: A Space Odyssey with a story or Event Horizon minus the elements that movie stole from The Shining. I realise both those are Kubrick-related, and I guess there is something Kubrickian about Solaris. It is, for the most part, very cold and inaccessible, like 2001. But the actors, particularly Natascha McElhone and George Clooney (ignore the ass), totally excel themselves, it’s from them stems the warmth.

I imagine this movie inspiring really varied conversations, some much like the early dinner scene, really talking about the ideas of existence and religion (is Solaris heaven?); some, though, more along the lines of, “I liked it,” “I can’t believe you liked it, how? It sucked!” “Well, ‘cos, I don’t know!”. This is a movie that will always divide people, and it really does invite all manner of interpretations, and you’ve gotta dig that.

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