MOSFILM
NATALYA BONDARCHUK
DONATAS BANIONIS
YURI YARVET
VLADISLAV DVORZHETSKY
NIKOLAI GRINKO
ANATOLY SOLONITSYN
IN THE FILM
SOLARIS
Based on the Science Fiction Novel by STANISLAW LEM
Screenplay by F. GORENSHTEIN, A. TARKOVSKY
Directed by ANDREI TARKOVSKY
Cinematographer VADIM YUSOV
Production Designer MIKHAIL ROMADIN
Music EDUARD ARTEMYEV
Sound SEMYON LITVINOV
SOLARIS
Part One
Kris, come here!
You're just in time.
He takes a walk every morning for no less than an hour.
I forbade him from coming back earlier.
He's had a lot of work. Sometimes staying up all night.
Oh, these Solarists!
He reminds me of a book-keeper, preparing his accounts.
We expected you yesterday.
He wanted to run away when he saw me.
Hello.
I probably shouldn't have bothered you today.
How old you and I have become. It's only just now that I've realized it.
What are you apologizing for?
Does he understand that everything depends
on his first report from the station?
The crew there sends us nothing but confusing and incrompehensible data.
If he confirms that the work can't continue for some reason,
the station can be taken out of Solaris' orbit.
He understands.
You promised to talk to him. I brought the film.
As that is what I came here for. - Yes, of course.
Would you be against the boy staying with you for a few days?
I have a lot to do and no one to leave him with.
Anna will look after him. She'll have more free time now.
What time does he leave?
By tomorrow morning, he won't be here anymore.
It's so pleasant here.
This house resembles my grandfather's house.
I really liked it.
So we decided to build one just like it.
I don't like innovation.
Well, I think I'd better get going.
I still have a rather lot to do...
You won't stay and see it?
I've seen it already many times.
On the 21st day of our expedition,
radio-biologist Vishyakov and physicist Fekhner
went on an exploratory flight over the Solaris Ocean in a hydroplane.
When they failed to return after 16 hours, we had to declare an emergency.
The fog was thick and we were forced to call the search off.
All of the rescue crafts returned to the station
except for the helicopter operated by the pilot, Burton.
Burton returned an hour after dark.
Once out of the helicopter, he ran to his quarters.
He was in a state of nervous shock.
You understand that for a man with 11 years of experience flying in space
to return this way, it was highly extraordinary.
In two days he recovered,
but not once would he leave the station.
And he tried not to approach the window overlooking the Ocean.
Later he wrote to us from the clinic,
that he was preparing a statement of great importance,
one that he believes would decide the fate of Solaristics.
Excellent. Let's hear what he has to say.
Now is the time we give the floor to Burton, I'd say.
Thank you.
When I first descended below 300 meters,
it became hard to maintain altitude,
just as the wind began to strengthen.
I had to point all my attention to operating the ship.
Sometimes, I did not look out of the cabin.
As a result, I wound up in a fog. - Was this an ordinary fog?
Of course not. It was not any ordinary fog.
It seemed to be colloidal and sticky.
It coated all of the windows.
And because of the fog's resistance, I began to lose altitude.
I couldn't see the sun,
but the fog glowed red in its direction.
After half an hour, I came out into a large, open space.
It was almost round, a diameter a few hundred meters across.
In that moment, I noticed a change in the Ocean.
The waves completely disappeared.
And the surface became almost transparent, with clouded patches.
Under it gathered yellow sludge.
In thin strips it rose up, and sparkled like glass.
Then it began to seethe, boil, and harden.
It looked like molasses.
This sludge or slime gathered into large lumps
and slowly formed different shapes.
I began to be drawn into the fog,
I had to struggle against this force for some time.
When I looked down again, I saw underneath me something that looked like a garden.
How - a garden?
Attention, please.
I saw shrubs, hedges, Acacia trees, little paths.
Everything was made of this same substance.
These trees and plants you saw, did they have leaves?
These shrubs and Acacias?
No, I already said they were all like plaster, but life-sized.
Then everything began to crack and break.
Out of the fissures poured yellow sludge.
Everything began to boil even harder, and cover in foam.
You can see for yourselves.
I used a camera from time to time.
Everything I saw before and after should be captured on film.
Then I propose we interrupt these discussions
and see everything with our own eyes.
All right, show us your film. Very interesting.
Is that it?
That's all of your film?
Yes, that's everything.
But we don't understand. You filmed clouds.
Why did you film only clouds?
That must be the fog I told you about.
I wasn't expecting this.
All of this could be the result of Solaris' bio-magnetic current
acting on Burton's consciousness.
We now know the current is not only a gigantic cerebral system,
but a substance capable of thought processes.
That hypothesis is questionable.
Were you feeling sick that day?
After this is a meaningless chunk.
Let's pick up here.
I discovered something floating in one of the openings.
It looked to me like it was Fechner's space suit.
The shape looked like a person.
I turned the vehicle around - I didn't want to lose sight of that spot.
At that moment, the figure rose slightly,
as if it were swimming or treading the waves.
This person, he had no space suit, and he was moving.
I don't understand. "Person?"
Yes, a person.
Just a minute. And you what - saw his face?
Yes.
What person?
Who was it?
It was a child.
What child? Had you seen him before?
No, never. In any case, I didn't remember it.
When I flew closer to him,
I noticed in him something awful.
In what way?
I couldn't make it out at first.
Then I saw that he was unusually large. Gigantic.
That's even putting it mildly. He was about four meters tall.
He had blue eyes
and dark hair.
Perhaps you're not feeling well?
Then we'll...postpone the meeting.
I'll continue.
He was naked, absolutely naked,
like a newborn.
He was wet, or rather, slippery.
His skin was shiny.
He rose and fell like the waves, but he was moving by himself.
It was disgusting.
I'm sorry. I'll jump ahead a little.
There isn't much more.
Burton's statements appear to be the result of a hallucinatory complex
brought on by the atmosphere of the planet,
as well as symptoms of depression
exacerbated by inflammation of the associative zone
of the cerebral cortex.
And, this report in no way, or in almost no way,
corresponds with reality.
How much is it worth, this "almost"?
Excuse me, I'm not finished yet.
Additionally, Doctor of Physics, Professor Messenger, offers a different opinion.
He believes that Burton's statements could be truly founded in reality
and merit further study.
That's it.
Yet I saw it all with my own eyes.
I hold a different understanding on this matter.
We stand on the brink of an enormous and grand discovery.
And I would not like our decision to rely on the fact that our observations
operate on a man without any scientific qualifications,
although any researcher may envy this pilot,
his presence of mind, his gift of observation.
Moreover, it seems to me, in light of recent information,
we do not have any moral right to discontinue the exploration.
I can understand the feelings of Professor Messenger.
I understand him.
But let's take a look at the road we've traveled.
Solaristics is tiptoeing in the exact place where it began.
Years of hard work have turned up in vain.
Everything we know now about Solaris is in negative character
and has come to resemble a mountain of disjointed, incoherent facts
that strain credulity.
That's exactly the same situation we're in today.
Solaristics is degenerating.
But what we're talking about is far more serious
than just the study of Solaristics.
We're talking about the boundaries of human knowledge.
Does it not occur to you that by establishing these artificial barriers
we're delivering a blow to the idea of limitless thought?
By limiting our movement forward, we facilitate moving backwards.
I nevertheless repeat my question.
What do you mean by saying
the report of my observations in almost no way corresponds with reality?
I saw everything with my own eyes. What do you mean by "almost"?
"Almost no way" means that some real phenomena
could have triggered your hallucinations after all, Burton.
At times when the weather is windy,
it's easy to confuse a swaying bush with a living being,
to say nothing of a foreign planet.
So by this I meant no offense, Burton. None.
I'd like to know what impact Professor Messenger's opinion will have.
Practically none.
Which means that exploration in this area will be discontinued.
Just a moment. Yes...
I'd like to make a statement.
The commission has not offended me,
but it has offended the spirit of the expedition.
Therefore, I consider it my duty to announce...
And so on...
Nowadays it's considered in good taste to laugh
at the mention of Burton's report.
Thank you, Burton.
We've known each other for so long, but I never really knew anything about you.
You know, you were very handsome.
That's not true, but thanks, in any case.
Excuse me.
Well, Kris, what conclusions have you made?
If you don't mind,
I'd like to speak to your son alone.
I don't want to look like an idiot in front of you yet again.
I'll wait for you outside by the swing.
He's an absurd sort of person.
You shouldn't say that.
He already feels himself ill at ease.
He thinks he's getting in the way of our farewell.
He's a tactful man.
If he decided to come, it's because he considered this important.
Although, I admit, I'd rather not see anyone now.
You and I already rarely get a chance to talk.
I'm glad to hear you say that.
Even if it's on the last day.
The last day.
It always feels awful after a big farewell.
Here comes your aunt.
You know Kris, let's meet after lunch. We need to talk.
Why then, did you invite this Burton today of all days?
Where are the guests going to sleep? Next to you, or in the room upstairs?
Upstairs, I guess.
Well, I'll leave to my meeting by the swing.
- Maybe... - Just a moment.
Just wait a minute - you and your rooms!
Listen, Kris...
What happened?
- What is that standing over there? - What are you afraid of?
It's standing in the garage, looking at me.
It's a horse.
Don't. I've already seen it .
Come on.
She's gentle. Look how beautiful she is.
Please understand me, I think Solaristics has reached an impasse
as a result of irresponsible daydreaming.
I'm interested only in the truth,
but you want to turn me into a biased supporter.
I don't have the right to make decisions based on impulses of the heart.
I'm not a poet. I have a concrete goal:
Either stop the research and remove the station from orbit,
thereby legitimizing the Solaristics crisis,
or take extreme measures.
Perhaps even bombarding the Ocean with heavy radiation.
- Anything but that! - Why not?
Didn't you say research should continue at any price?
What, you want to destroy that which we are presently incapable of understanding?
Forgive me, but I am not an advocate of knowledge at any price.
Knowledge is only valid when it operates on morality.
Morality and immorality are determined by the decisions of men.
Remember Hiroshima.
Then don't decide to make science immoral.
Strange...
Strange? What's strange about it?
You yourself can't be sure that everything you saw there
wasn't just hallucinations. I saw it didn't I?
Thank you very much.
Consider our discussion finished.
- What happened? - I'm leaving.
Where?
He's an accountant, not a scientist. You were right.
You and I are friends, after all, but that doesn't mean you can say that about him.
Great. You and I have known each other for 20 years. It had to end someday.
Are you leaving the boy?
What did you have to offend him for? You're too harsh. That's what I have to say to you.
It's dangerous to send people like you into space.
Everything there is too fragile. You understand? Fragile!
The Earth has somehow become adjusted to people like you,
although at what sacrifice?
What, are you jealous that he'll be the one to bury me, and not you?
Thus, it had been established that the Solaris Ocean is a distinctive brain.
Right after that, an even more daring hypothesis came out,
suggesting that the Ocean is a thinking substance.
Incidentally, this hypothesis,
after all these years, still cannot be confirmed or refuted.
It's a program about Solaris.
There are only few believers left.
First of all, there are those connected to the fate of the Solaris station.
On this huge station built to house 85 people
there is now a crew of three.
They are: astro-biologist Sartorius,
cyberneticist Snaut,
and physiologist Gibarian, who deal with the problem...
I'm calling from the city.
Burton.
Anna, leave for a minute. We need to talk.
I didn't tell Kris about what was most important.
About Messenger, who voiced a different opinion at that meeting.
He became very interested in Fechner, who died in the Solaris Ocean.
It turned out that Fechner had an orphaned son.
He had left his family.
And we, Messenger and I, paid a visit to Fechner's widow,
and I saw this boy with my own eyes.
You never told me about this.
I never got the chance.
Fine. Go on.
This child was identical to the one I saw on Solaris.
Of course, he wasn't four meters tall.
He shouldn't think about this too much before liftoff,
but over there, he should keep it in mind.
These are leftover papers.
The ones to hold on to are in my room.
My research notes, my thesis... How did I hold on to so much?
If something should happen, I'll find someone to take care of them.
I'll come up with something.
Yes, but don't look for that film. I'm taking it with me.
Remember? The one of the bonfire.
Yes, of course, take it.
- Ready, Kelvin? - Ready, Moddard.
Don't worry about a thing.
Have a great trip. Send our regards.
- When is liftoff? - You're already flying, Kris! Take care.
Solaris station! Solaris station! Do something!
I think I'm losing stability. This is Kelvin, over.
Hey, where are you all?
Guests are here. Hello?
Dr. Snaut?
Snaut?
I'm Kelvin, the psychologist.
From what I see, it looks like you weren't expecting me.
Did you receive the radiogram?
Yes. Yes. Of course.
What's wrong?
Forgive me.
Where's Gibarian? Where's Sartorius?
Sartorius is in his quarters.
Gibarian is dead.
What do you mean "dead"?
Suicide.
I beg your pardon.
I knew Gibarian and he would never have...
He was almost always in a state of deep depression.
Ever since these disturbances began.
Why don't you go rest, take a bath?
Take any room and come back in an hour.
I would like to see Gibarian - I mean, Sartorius.
Later.
I doubt he'd see you now, anyway. He's upstairs, in the laboratory.
Listen, Snaut,
I understand that something extraordinary has happened and maybe...
Dr. Kelvin...
You understand... Yes. Come back in an hour. Please.
Go. Rest.
Listen, now there are three of us, with Sartorius.
You know us from our photographs.
If you see something out of the ordinary,
something besides me and Sartorius, try not to lose your head.
What would I see?
I don't know. That sort of depends on you.
Hallucinations?
No. Don't presume. Just remember.
- Remember what? - We're not on Earth.
You know, it would be better if you came back in the evening, or at night.
Or no, let's make it tomorrow morning.
DR. A. GIBARIAN
HUMAN BEING
FOR K. KELVIN
Hi, Kris.
I still have a little time left.
There are some things I must tell you,
and some things I must warn you about.
By now you're at the station and know what happened to me.
If not, Snaut or Sartorius will tell you.
What happened to me...
is not important.
Or rather, Kris, it cannot be explained.
I'm afraid that what happened to me is only the beginning.
I wouldn't, of course, want it to happen...
but this could happen to you and the others.
Here, it could happen to anyone, probably.
Just don't think that I've lost my mind.
I'm of sound mind, Kris. Believe me.
After all, you know me.
If I have enough time, I'll tell you why I did everything.
I'm telling you this so that, if it does happen to you,
you'll know it's not madness.
That's the most important thing.
As for continuing research,
I'm leaning towards Sartorius' proposal,
subjecting the Ocean's plasma to heavy radiation.
I know it's prohibited, but there's no other choice.
We...
You will only get mired in it.
It may offer a way of breaking this deadlock.
This is our only chance to make contact with this monster.
There is no other choice, Kris.
If...
Dr. Sartorius, I am Kelvin.
I arrived two hours ago.
Listen, I seem to be caught in some kind of ridiculous situation.
Okay, if you don't open up I'm breaking the door down.
All right, I'll open the door, but don't come in.
I'll come out. - Fine.
My name is Kelvin.
I'm listening.
You must have heard of me.
I work, or worked, with Gibarian.
Go on.
I found, from Snaut, out about Gibarian. That he's gone.
Then, you already know the story.
Yes. It's horrible.
I don't know the details, but he's dead.
That's not important. We all die.
But he insisted on being buried on Earth. Is space really such a bad grave for him?
But Gibarian wanted to be in the ground, with the worms.
I wanted to disregard it, but Snaut insisted.
- Have you ever heard of Burton? - He was the pilot who...
Yes, he participated in the search party for Fechner.
Fechner died a magnificent death, but Gibarian was a coward.
It's not worth talking badly of him now.
You're not thinking of what's important. Right now it's important to think about duty.
Duty to whom?
- To truth. - You mean to people.
You can't find truth there. Look.
Your position is absurd. Your so-called courage is inhuman!
You hear me?
Go away. You are, as I understand, too impressionable.
You must get used to everything. Good day.
I spoke with Sartorius.
I think he's a rotten person.
He's a very talented scientist.
I'm starting to feel a little sick.
You're completely healthy. You just won't take advice.
Snaut, aside from the three of us, is there anyone else on the station?
Did you see someone?
You were warning me before. Of what?
Whom did you see?
Was it a human being? Is she real?
Can she be touched? Wounded?
You saw her today.
And you? Who the hell are you?
Quiet.
- Where did she come from? - Leave me alone.
You're afraid.
Don't worry.
I won't think you're insane.
Insane? God, you know nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Insane...
That would've been a blessing.
Listen, Snaut...
It's all senseless.
They still won't understand me. They think I've gone crazy.
Do you see, Kris, how it's not entirely absurd?
I have to do this because I'm afraid they'll come in here.
I mean Snaut and Sartorius.
They themselves don't understand what they're doing.
I'm afraid, Kris...
I can't...
Nobody will be able to understand.
Open up! You hear, Gibarian? Open up!
Don't be stupid. It's just us - Snaut and Sartorius.
We want to help you.
They want to help me.
Just a second. Quit knocking.
I am my own judge.
Have you seen her?
Kris, understand that this is not madness.
It has something to do with conscience.
I really wanted you to get here in time, Kris.
Where did you -
It's so nice.
But... but this isn't...
How did you know where?
What do you mean, "how"?
Don't, Kris. That tickles.
Where are my shoes? - Shoes?
No. They're not there.
Who is this?
Kris...
it's me.
You know...
I have this feeling...
as if I've forgotten something.
I can't understand it.
Do you love me?
Don't be silly, Hari. As if you didn't know.
I'm going out for a moment. Wait for me, okay?
- Then I'll go with you. - No, Hari. I'll be back soon.
No.
What's with you? Why?
I don't know. I can't.
You can't what?
It feels like I... I have to see you... all the time.
What are you, a child?
I have work to do, Hari.
I'm behaving foolishly.
And so are you.
Running around all disheveled, like Snaut.
- Like who? - Like Snaut.
Listen, how do you...
Well, I have to go. If you want, we can go together.
But you won't be able to get into a suit with your dress on.
Get undressed.
Kris, help me. I can't undo it.
Why are you looking at me like that?
SOLARIS Part Two
Get in.
- What about you? - I'm right behind you.
I'll need to shut the hatch.
So, is everything all right? Are you comfortable?
Yes. Hurry, Kris.
You could at least knock.
It sounded like you were talking to someone.
All the more reason.
So you had guests?
Well, I see you took good care of them.
It's nothing. You won't die from it.
Did you at least start out modestly?
Narcotics, poisons, barbiturates, eh?
If you plan to clown around, you might as well leave.
Yes, sometimes you even become a clown without wanting to.
You can't tell me you haven't tried a rope or a hammer.
Did you, by chance, throw yourself into the inkwell like Luther? No?
So, it's like that?
One, two, into the rocket, press the button,
and it was done.
Next time, don't panic.
And push the button from the corridor. You could get burned.
- What was that? - I don't know.
Then again, we've managed to determine a few things.
Who was it?
She died 10 years ago.
What you saw was the materialization of your conception of her.
What was her name? - Hari.
Everything began after we started experimenting with radiation.
We hit the Ocean's surface
with strong X-ray beams.
But it...
Incidentally, consider yourself lucky. After all, that woman was only a part of your past.
But if it had been something you had never known before,
but something you had thought of, imagined?
I don't understand.
Evidently the Ocean responded to our heavy radiation with something else.
It probed our minds and extracted something like islands of memory.
She won't come back?
She will...
and she won't.
- Hari the Second. - There may be an endless number of them.
Why didn't you warn me?
You wouldn't have believed me.
I got scared and acted, it seems, not entirely...
Don't be hard on yourself. We've had enough of Gibarian.
Evidently, there's talk about liquidating the station.
That's the reason I was sent here.
If I submit a report, will you sign it?
And what if this is that long-awaited contact?
Night is the best time here. It somehow reminds me of Earth.
You need to attach strips of paper to the air vents.
At night, it it will remind you of the rustling of leaves.
This was an invention of Gibarian's. Simple, like everything that's genius.
I adopted it right away.
Sartorius made fun of us, but he has one of these things in his room, too.
He hides it in his closet.
You should rest.
If you can, come to the library later.
I've prepared for you a list of books.
Snaut, is that you?
Kris, where are you?
Come here.
- It's so dark. - Come here. Don't be afraid.
Hari!
The door opens the other way.
Hang on. I'll be right back.
When I saw you weren't there, I got scared.
Hello, Kris.
I can barely hear you. Speak louder.
What are you doing right now?
Nothing.
In any case, Sartorius has invited us to his laboratory.
How are you?
Fine. I'll try to make it.
Kris, what's wrong with me?
Maybe it's epilepsy?
This is my wife.
Hello.
- We've been waiting for you. - I just got free.
- How lovely! Are these yours? - No, they're Snaut's.
Ok. as far as I can tell, they are constructed...
Let's just call them "guests."
Very good.
While our structure is made of atoms, theirs consists of neutrinos.
But neutrino systems aren't stable.
It seems they become stabilized by Solaris' force field.
You've got a superb specimen.
That's my wife.
Wonderful. Perfect.
Then take a blood sample from your wife.
Why?
It will sober you up a bit.
Interesting, what do you think?
- Snaut? - Enough of all of you!
I burned the blood with acid, but it's restoring itself.
Regeneration?
In essence, immortality- Faust's problem.
Excuse me.
There's no need for cotton.
Are you qualified to perform an autopsy?
I've already told you - she's my wife. Don't you understand?
I think these experiments are more humane than testing on rabbits.
Don't you agree?
It doesn't matter.
It would be like cutting my own leg off.
Did you feel pain when you broke through the door?
Pain? Of course.
So if I ever catch you doing anything...
- You're lucky. - How so?
Your predilection is meaningless,
yet you've managed to establish emotional contact with them.
It may be pleasant but... - What are you, jealous?
Maybe I'm jealous.
No, you're not jealous. After all, you're not guilty of anything.
- Of course. - But I am guilty.
Of what?
When you turn into an utter cripple with no arms or legs, call us.
We'll empty your bedpan.
- But for whom are you guilty? - For you, too.
This was filmed by my father. And me a bit, too.
Listen...
I don't know myself at all.
I don't remember.
When I close my eyes, I can't recall my face. And you?
What?
- Do you know yourself? - Like every person.
That woman. In the white coat. She's the one who hated me.
Don't make things up. She died before you and I met.
I don't understand why you're deceiving me.
I remember perfectly.
We drank tea and she kicked me out.
Naturally, I stood up and left. I remember perfectly.
But what happened after that?
After that, I went away,
and we never saw each other again.
Where did you go?
To a different city.
- Why? - I was transferred.
Why did you leave without me?
You were the one who didn't want to come.
That I remember.
Forgive me. I was walking by, and I thought you were already awake.
What happened?
The regeneration is slowing down.
For two or three hours we can be free of them.
You came in the middle of the night to tell me that?
I'll tell you why I came.
Here Sartorius and I were thinking:
If the Ocean derives guests from us while we dream,
maybe it makes sense to transmit our waking thoughts to it.
- In what way? - With beams of radiation.
Perhaps it will understand and spare us from all these apparitions.
Again these ridiculous X-ray sermons about the greatness of science?
We'll modulate the beam with only the brain waves of one of us.
And "one of us" means me, of course.
An encephalogram! A transcription of all my thoughts.
What if I suddenly want her to die? To disappear!
Entrust everything to that... that mass of jelly?
It's already invaded my soul.
Kris, we're running out of time.
By the way, Sartorius proposed one more project: the annihilator.
It destroys only the neutrino systems.
What is this? Blackmail?
It was me who convinced him to start with the encephalogram.
And, forget about this whole thing for now.
Tomorrow's my birthday. Consider yourself invited.
- You're lying, you just want to make up with us. - Yes, I want to make up!
Don't shout. People are sleeping!
Sleeping?
She's already learned how to sleep?
This will all end badly.
- Well, what do you propose I do? - Nothing.
So you'll come? Tomorrow, in the library.
We'll set a table there.
At least there aren't any windows there.
In the meantime, let's go.
Sartorius is waiting.
She's sleeping.
She won't follow me?
Don't lock the door, at least.
What door?
Just an apparition.
Wait. I'll be right back.
Where are you going?
Forgive me. Forgive me.
Why aren't you asleep?
- You don't love me. - Stop it, Hari.
- We have to talk. - About what?
You understand that I don't know where I came from.
Maybe you know? - What are you thinking?
Stop. Don't interrupt me.
If you know,
but you just can't tell me now,
then perhaps one day you will.
What are you talking about?
I don't understand a thing, honestly.
You don't want to tell me.
You're afraid.
Then I'll tell you.
I'm not Hari.
Hari is dead.
She poisoned herself.
I'm something else completely.
Who told you this?
- Sartorius. We were talking just now. - Last night.
It would have been better if you had told me the truth yourself.
God, what's the difference?
How have you lived all this time?
Were you in love with anyone?
I don't know.
Did you ever think of me?
Yes, but not all the time.
Only when I felt unhappy.
You know, I feel like somebody is tricking us.
And the longer this deception lasts, the worse it will end for you.
Particularly for you, Kris.
How can I help you?
Tell me.
And her, the other one, what happened to her?
We argued.
In our last moments, we argued a lot.
I gathered my things and left.
She made me understand without saying it directly,
but when you live years with someone, some things aren't necessary.
I was sure they were just words,
but one day I remembered that I'd left
the laboratory specimens in the refrigerator.
I had brought them from the laboratory and explained how they worked.
I got scared.
I wanted to go to her.
But then I thought it would look like I had taken her words seriously.
After three days, I couldn't take it anymore and I went to see her.
When I got there, she was already dead.
On her arm was a needle mark.
This one?
But why did she decide to do it?
She probably sensed that I didn't really love her.
But I love you.
- Kris. - What?
I love you.
Get some sleep.
I don't know how to sleep.
It's not sleep. It's somehow around me.
It's as if it weren't just inside of me, but much farther away.
It's probably still sleep.
Well, it looks like the man of the hour isn't going to show up.
- Why? - Maybe he has guests.
Oh, everyone's already here?
You're late, by an hour and a half.
What is that you're reading?
It's all trash.
Trash!
But where is...
Here!
"They come in the night.
But one must sleep sometime."
This is the problem.
Man has lost sleep.
You'd better read. I'm a little excited.
"I know only one thing, señor. When I...
When I sleep, I know no fear, no hope, no trouble, no bliss.
Blessings on him who invented sleep.
It is the single coin that purchases all things,
the single balance that levels shepherd and king,
fool and wise man.
There is only one flaw about sound sleep.
They say at night, it closely resembles death."
"Never before, Sancho, have I heard you speak so elegantly as now."
That's great, but perhaps you'll let even me say something now?
I propose a toast to Snaut,
to his bravery, to his devotion to remembering duty.
To science and to Snaut.
Science? Bunch of nonsense.
In this situation, mediocrity and genius are of equal helplessness.
I must tell you that we have absolutely no interest in conquering any cosmos.
We just want to extend the Earth everywhere, to its last borders.
We don't know what to do with other worlds.
We don't need other worlds.
We need a mirror.
We struggle for contact, and we'll never find it.
We're in the foolish human predicament
of striving for a goal that he fears,
that he has no need for.
Man needs man.
Let's drink to Gibarian.
To the memory of him.
Even though he got frightened.
No, Gibarian was not frightened.
There are things far worse.
He died of hopelessness.
He thought all this was happening only to him.
My God!
All these heartbreaking lamentations
are nothing but second-rate Dostoyevsky.
Who are you to judge?
I know why I'm here. I'm working.
Man was created by nature so he could learn her ways.
In his endless search for truth, man is condemned to knowledge.
Everything else is whim.
Permit me to ask, my esteemed colleague:
Why did you come to Solaris?
- What do you mean, why? - What, are you working so much?
Forgive me, but aside from the romance with your ex-wife,
nothing seems to interest you.
You spend all day lounging in a bed of noble thoughts,
and that's how you carry out your duty?
You've lost touch with reality.
Forgive me, but you're simply a loafer.
Enough!
Be a bit more pleasant. We drink to Gibarian.
Not to Gibarian, but to Man.
Are you saying Gibarian was not a man?
Stop it, Kris. The last thing we need is to fight.
After all, today is my birthday. Today is my day.
Of course.
I think that Kris Kelvin
is more consistent than both of you.
In inhuman conditions, he has behaved humanely.
And you act as if none of this concerns you,
and consider your guests - it seems that's what you call us -
something external, a hindrance.
But it's a part of you. This is your conscience.
And Kris loves me.
Maybe it's not me he loves,
but that he's simply protecting him from himself.
He wants me alive.
That's not the point. It doesn't matter why man loves.
It's different for everyone.
This is not about Kris.
It's you.
I hate you all. - I would ask you...
I ask you. Don't interrupt me. I'm a woman, after all.
You're not a woman and you're not a human being.
Understand that already, please,
if you're capable of understanding anything.
There is no Hari. She died.
You - you're only her reiteration,
a mechanical reiteration.
A copy. A matrix.
Yes.
Maybe.
But I...
I am becoming a human being.
My feelings are no less deep than yours.
Believe me.
I can already get by without him.
I...
love him.
I am a human being.
You...
you're very cruel.
Get up! Get up right now!
My dear man.
This is the easiest thing of all.
We've wasted time arguing.
We're losing our dignity and human character.
No.
You're human, each in your own way.
That's why you argue.
Am I bothering you?
You're a good man, but...
you look terrible.
I've really lost heart.
Help me out a bit.
What? Doesn't a man who's ready to give up his life
just to make that damned contact
in order to know more about it, have the right to get drunk?
He has every moral right!
Do you believe in our mission, Kelvin?
I'm not going to bed yet.
It's not important to fall asleep.
I'm going to see Faust.
In the laboratory, our Faust- Sartorius -
is seeking a remedy for immortality.
And we?
Listen, let's open these hatches and shout down below.
What if it suddenly hears?
Only, what should we call it?
Or maybe we should whip it.
Or, better yet, pray to it.
What's wrong?
I think I shut the door to the library. She's there alone.
Go. I feel better already.
The station is changing its orbit.
At 17:00 there will be 30 seconds of weightlessness.
Don't forget.
Forgive me, my darling. I was lost in thought for a bit.
Is something wrong?
No, nothing.
Everything's fine.
She drank liquid oxygen.
She did it out of despair.
Later it'll get even worse.
The more she's with you, the more human she'll become.
Learn from Sartorius' example. - Thank you for the advice.
What do you intend to do?
Wait until she returns.
And then what? Leave the station?
Kris, she can only live here, on the station. You know that.
What should I do?
I love her. - Which one?
Her, or the one in the rocket? You can pull her in from orbit.
She will appear again and every time she'll keep appearing.
Don't turn a scientific problem into a common love story.
I felt this would end badly.
You should help her.
An eerie sight.
I can never get used to all these resurrections.
Is this me?
Hari...
What?
Why?
No. It's not me.
It's me... not Hari...
And you... Maybe you too...
- Don't, Hari. - I'm not Hari!
Okay!
Maybe your appearance is supposed to be torture.
Maybe it's a favor from the Ocean.
What does it matter when you're worth more to me
than all the scientific understanding that could ever be found?
Do I look a lot like her?
No. You looked like her.
But now you - and not her- are the real Hari.
Tell me...
Do I disgust you? That I'm...
I disgust you! - No, Hari. That's not true.
- Liar! - It's not true. Stop it.
- I must be disgusting! - Stop it.
Don't touch me.
I love you!
What's the matter?
Nothing.
I'm not going back to Earth.
We'll live here together on the station.
You know...
I'm afraid.
It looks like it's showing some activity.
This is the help of your encephalogram.
You know...
when we show pity, we ravage ourselves.
Maybe it's true...
Suffering makes life seem
dismal and suspect.
But I won't accept that.
No, I won't accept that.
Is that which is indispensable to life also harmful to it?
No, it's not harmful. Of course it's not harmful.
Remember Tolstoy?
His suffering over the impossibility of loving mankind as a whole?
How much time has passed since then?
Somehow I can't figure it out. Help me.
See, I love you.
But love is a feeling we can experience
but never explain.
One can explain the concept.
You love that which you can lose:
Yourself, a woman, a homeland.
Until today, love was simply unnatributable to mankind, to the Earth.
Do you understand me, Snaut?
There are so few of us. A few billion altogether. A handful!
Maybe we're only here in order to experience people
as a reason for love.
He seems to have a fever.
How did Gibarian die? You still haven't told me.
I'll tell you. Later.
Gibarian didn't die of fear. He died of shame.
Shame - this is the feeling that will save mankind!
Mama, I...
I'm two hours late.
I know.
How was your trip?
Fine. I'm a little tired, but it was fine.
My God, it's running slow again.
I'll go adjust it.
You've got plenty of time.
You know, it's really embarrassing, but for some reason...
I can't remember your face whatsoever.
You don't look well.
Are you happy?
Somehow that concept seems irrelevant here.
That's really a pity.
I'm very lonesome now.
Why do you hurt our feelings?
What have you been waiting for?
Why haven't you called?
You're leading some sort of strange life.
You're filthy and unkempt.
How did you make such a mess of yourself?
What's this?
Wait here. I'll be right back.
How are you? Everything all right?
Where's Hari?
What's that?
There's no more Hari.
"Kris, it's terrible that I had to lie to you,
but there was no other way.
This is best for us both.
I asked them myself.
You mustn't blame anyone.
Hari."
She did it for you.
Snaut, listen.
Later, Kris. Calm down.
How... how did it...
The annihilator? A burst of light and wind.
Yes.
Towards the end, things weren't working out for us.
Listen, Snaut.
Why is it torturing us like this?
You know, in my opinion, we have lost our sense of the cosmic.
The ancients understood it perfectly.
They never would have asked why or what for.
Remember the myth of Sisyphus.
After we transmitted your encephalogram,
none of the guests have come back.
On the Ocean, something incomprehensible began taking place.
Islands have begun to form on the surface.
First one. Then the next day there were several more.
Are you trying to tell me that it understood us?
That quickly?
But at least there's hope, eh, Kris?
- How old are you? - Fifty-two. Why?
Have you been here long?
- Didn't you look at my forms? - I did.
Listen, having spent so many years here on the station,
do you still feel a clear connection to your life there?
You like dire questions.
I'm scared you'll soon ask me about the meaning of life.
Wait. Don't ironize.
It's a banal question.
When man is happy,
the meaning of life and other eternal themes rarely interest him.
These questions should be asked at the end of one's life.
But when will that end come? We don't know.
That's why we're in such a hurry.
Don't rush.
The happiest people are those who are never interested in those damned questions.
To ask is always the desire to know.
Yet the preservation of simple human truths requires mystery.
The mysteries of happiness, death, love.
Maybe you're right, but try not to think about all that now.
To think about it is to know the day of one's death.
Not knowing that day makes us practically immortal.
Fine, then.
In any event, my mission is finished.
But what next? Return to Earth?
Little by little, everything will return to normal.
I'll even find new interests and acquaintances.
But I won't be able to give myself to them fully.
Never.
Do I have the right to turn down
even an imagined possibility of contact with this Ocean
for which my race has been trying for decades to extend the thread of understanding?
To remain here
among things and objects we both touched?
Which still bear the memory of our breath?
For what?
In the hope that she'll return?
But I don't have this hope.
The only thing left for me
is to wait. Wait for what?
I don't know. New miracles?
You're not tired?
No, I feel great.
You know, Kris...
Maybe it's time you returned to Earth.
You think so?
THE END
Subtitle Retranslation by Aminov based on original Criterion Collection