Solaris is a Rejection of 2001

Early in Solaris there is a sequence that mirrors the Stargate sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it’s just a former astronaut driving through a city in a car.

2001 presents a theory that in experiencing the alien we experience the divine: an idea that would become a fundamental element of the sci-fi that followed it.

Solaris rejects that this is possible or even interesting. In encountering the gigantic, ineffable, holy we in fact still understand it in human terms, and the most important human things are our loving relationships with others as themselves.

Solaris is free on Tubi, and I think it’s also on HBO Max with no ads.