Let Silence Speak

Solaris

Re-watched the first ten minutes of Solaris this morning.  In moviemaking, I think it is such an easy thing to let exposition and dialogue represent the story, kind of a holdover from radio days.  Soderbergh taps into the visual possibilites of film, and introduces the story with such restraint, where the silence tells just as much of the story as the spoken words.  The result is beautiful and profound, in that it gives the audience a chance to interact with the film on an intuitive level, rather than being spoon-fed the action through dialogue.  There is a sense of seeing the characters, and having an unspoken understanding of their thoughts and feelings.  Our intuitions fill in the empty space Soderbergh leaves in the telling of the story.  Really impressive, as a beginning to a film.

Three Times is another film that really taps into the possibility of silent moments.