The Soviet Union cera 1960 through 1970 is characterized by a sense of intense competitiveness. The nation was in the midst of the Cold War with the United States and both nations were going to extreme measures to prove that they were the World’s greatest power. From the space race to the accumulation of nuclear weapons, a main source of this competition stemmed from technological advancements. However, after what is know in Russian history as “The Thaw”, censorship decreased and more people began to critique the nation’s scientifically driven agenda. One of the main public figures worried about the nation’s future was Andrei Tarkovsky. Through his films Solaris and Stalker, filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky argues that as the Soviet Union moves towards a society focused on technological advancements, the Soviet people lose their connection with nature and each other. …show more content…
Solaris has been said to be Tarkovsky’s response to Stanley Kubrick’s film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In the film Solaris, Tarkovsky ironically characterized the main character, Kelvin, as a psychologist suffering from immense grief resulting in psychological issues of his own. At the beginning of the film, Berton warns Kelvin about traveling to the space station that circles the planet Solaris. He says that the planet posses strange powers over people. Kelvin is purley interested in the science behind Solaris and believes that the space station should either be shut down completely or the space station's research should move forward at a more intense rate. Berton cautions Kelvin further about Solaris’ ability to create hallucinations, but Kelvin disregards his testimony and is cold towards him. After their conversation, Kelvin’s