@movie_nazi said:

I know that this is heralded as a great film by critics and buffs alike but I have to admit that it is flying right over my head. I am not a stranger to the abstract and the film does explore some interesting philosophical subjects but I fail to see what is so great about this film. I have seen it a couple of times and each time I am left scratching my head. cinematically it has some interesting shots, mostly some really long continuous shots that seem to go on forever but on an emotional level the film does not seem to move me. Can anyone offer some insight?

I agree with this. I generally prefer slow paced, older and "foreign langauge" films but this is a really acquired taste. Men taking 15mins to travel through a room while the volume of their breathing is massively elevated. It made the start of Gerry look action packed.

I also didn't particularly enjoy Solarys, finding it similarly bloated in its run time. I guess Tarkovsky just isn't for me. A pity, as I've got a bunch of his other films sitting waiting for me to watch.

4/10

I also felt Solarys was a bit drawn out but I liked it better than this one and I liked the American remake as well.

If you are into slow-paced foreign films then I would suggest Ingmar Bergman films. I don't think I have ever watched a film of his that I didn't think was at least OK and they rarely run more than 2 hours.