Stanislaw Lem’s novel Solaris begins in space, with scientist Kris Kelvin arriving on the Solaris space station, while Andrei Tarkovsky’s film adaptation begins on Earth. This highlights a key difference between novel and film: Where Lem explored the possibility of a planet-sized intelligent being conjuring creatures from the crew’s memories, such as Kelvin’s late wife, in order to learn from and interact with them, Tarkovsky takes the incarnational metaphor a step further, confronting Kelvin not only with the apparition sewn from memories of his wife, but with the planet and home he left behind. In this light, the film’s closing homage to one of Rembrandt’s most famous paintings perfectly encapsulates Kelvin’s penitential journey.
—Tyler J. Petty