Solaris
Grieving psychologist Chris Kelvin is sent to investigate a lonely space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris, where terrified crewmembers are experiencing a host of strange phenomena, including impossibly halcyon visitors that seem all too human. Once aboard, he confronts an unfathomable power that could hold the key to mankind's deepest dreams and darkest nightmares.
The film disappointed at the box office against its mid-range budget of $47.0M, earning $30.0M globally (-36% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its compelling narrative within the drama genre.
2 wins & 11 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Solaris (2002) reveals strategically placed narrative architecture, characteristic of Steven Soderbergh's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 39 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Chris Kelvin
Rheya
Snow
Gordon
Main Cast & Characters
Chris Kelvin
Played by George Clooney
A psychologist sent to investigate strange occurrences on a space station orbiting Solaris, haunted by his deceased wife's reappearance.
Rheya
Played by Natascha McElhone
Chris's deceased wife who mysteriously reappears on the station, seemingly real but created by Solaris from Chris's memories and guilt.
Snow
Played by Jeremy Davies
A cynical, unstable crew member on the Solaris station who provides cryptic warnings and comic relief amid the psychological horror.
Gordon
Played by Viola Davis
The station's pragmatic and guarded scientist who sees the visitors as threats and advocates for their destruction.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Chris Kelvin sits alone in his apartment, going through the motions of an empty existence—washing vegetables, riding the train in the rain. His profound isolation and grief over his wife Rheya's death permeate every frame of his hollow routine.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when The DBA representatives reveal that Gibarian specifically requested Chris by name, and that the corporation is prepared to destroy the station if answers aren't found. Chris must confront both his friend's desperate plea and the mystery surrounding Solaris, disrupting his carefully maintained isolation.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Chris arrives at the Prometheus station to find it in disarray—blood on the walls, Gibarian dead by suicide. Snow, one of the surviving crew members, cryptically warns him about "visitors" that appear to people on the station. Chris has crossed into a realm where the rules of reality no longer apply., moving from reaction to action.
At 50 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Chris locks the first Rheya in an escape pod and jettisons her into space, destroying her. This false victory—believing he can reject the temptation and return to rationality—immediately transforms into false defeat when he realizes what he's done. When a new Rheya appears the next night, he chooses differently: he cannot send her away again., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 74 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Rheya, unable to bear her artificial existence and the knowledge that she's a manifestation of Chris's guilt, exposes herself to Gordon's Higgs device and disintegrates. Chris loses her a third time—twice through her own choice to die. The whiff of death is devastatingly literal: his wife's suicide has now repeated itself in this constructed replica., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 79 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. As Gordon prepares to evacuate, Chris makes his choice: he will stay. He has synthesized his grief with the impossible gift Solaris offers—the chance not to fix the past, but to surrender to it. His realization is that letting go of rational reality is the only path to reunion with what he's lost., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Solaris's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Solaris against these established plot points, we can identify how Steven Soderbergh utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Solaris within the drama genre.
Steven Soderbergh's Structural Approach
Among the 17 Steven Soderbergh films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Solaris takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Steven Soderbergh filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include After Thomas, South Pacific and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. For more Steven Soderbergh analyses, see Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen and Contagion.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Chris Kelvin sits alone in his apartment, going through the motions of an empty existence—washing vegetables, riding the train in the rain. His profound isolation and grief over his wife Rheya's death permeate every frame of his hollow routine.
Theme
In Gibarian's video message, he tells Chris: "I wonder if you'll know what to do." This seemingly practical question about the mission carries the film's central theme: when confronted with the impossible return of a lost loved one, how do we choose between accepting an imperfect replica of the past or moving forward?
Worldbuilding
Chris's life as a psychologist is established through his grief-stricken routine and a therapy session where he counsels a patient. Corporate representatives from DBA arrive to explain that the Prometheus station orbiting Solaris has gone silent, with crew members experiencing unexplained phenomena. Gibarian's cryptic message reveals something unprecedented is happening.
Disruption
The DBA representatives reveal that Gibarian specifically requested Chris by name, and that the corporation is prepared to destroy the station if answers aren't found. Chris must confront both his friend's desperate plea and the mystery surrounding Solaris, disrupting his carefully maintained isolation.
Resistance
Chris debates whether to accept the mission, wrestling with leaving behind his grief-defined existence. Flashbacks begin to reveal his first meeting with Rheya at a party—the origin of the love that would define and destroy him. He prepares for the journey, his decision weighted by memories of what he's lost.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Chris arrives at the Prometheus station to find it in disarray—blood on the walls, Gibarian dead by suicide. Snow, one of the surviving crew members, cryptically warns him about "visitors" that appear to people on the station. Chris has crossed into a realm where the rules of reality no longer apply.
Mirror World
Chris awakens to find Rheya lying beside him—alive, tangible, confused. This "visitor" version of his dead wife represents the Mirror World storyline: she embodies both his deepest desire and the thematic question of whether love can transcend death, memory, and identity itself.
Premise
The promise of the premise unfolds as Chris navigates the impossible: his wife returned to him through Solaris's mysterious power. Flashbacks interweave with present scenes, showing their courtship, marriage, and her struggles with depression. Chris attempts to understand what Rheya is while simultaneously falling in love with her again, even as Gordon insists the visitors aren't real.
Midpoint
Chris locks the first Rheya in an escape pod and jettisons her into space, destroying her. This false victory—believing he can reject the temptation and return to rationality—immediately transforms into false defeat when he realizes what he's done. When a new Rheya appears the next night, he chooses differently: he cannot send her away again.
Opposition
Tensions escalate as Gordon develops a device to destroy the visitors using Higgs particles. The new Rheya begins remembering fragments of the original Rheya's life, including her suicide. She realizes she's not human and struggles with her own existential nature. Chris and Gordon conflict over whether to destroy the visitors or embrace them, while Solaris's influence grows stronger.
Collapse
Rheya, unable to bear her artificial existence and the knowledge that she's a manifestation of Chris's guilt, exposes herself to Gordon's Higgs device and disintegrates. Chris loses her a third time—twice through her own choice to die. The whiff of death is devastatingly literal: his wife's suicide has now repeated itself in this constructed replica.
Crisis
Chris sinks into despair following Rheya's second self-destruction. He confronts the depths of his guilt—the original Rheya killed herself because of him, and now this Rheya has done the same. Snow reveals himself to be a visitor who killed the original Snow, adding another layer of existential uncertainty. The station begins breaking apart as Solaris draws closer.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
As Gordon prepares to evacuate, Chris makes his choice: he will stay. He has synthesized his grief with the impossible gift Solaris offers—the chance not to fix the past, but to surrender to it. His realization is that letting go of rational reality is the only path to reunion with what he's lost.
Synthesis
Gordon escapes in the shuttle while Chris remains on the station. Solaris consumes the Prometheus, and Chris experiences a dissolution of self. He moves through fragments of memory—his apartment, conversations with Gibarian who explains that there are no answers, only choices. The boundary between life, death, memory, and reality collapses entirely.
Transformation
Chris finds himself in his apartment with Rheya. She asks if they're alive or dead; he responds that it doesn't matter anymore. He has transformed from a man trapped in grief and isolation to one who has accepted an existence beyond conventional understanding—reunited with his wife in Solaris's eternal now, transcending the question of what is real.