Soul – Review

Soul

Directed by: Pete Docter and Kemp Powers (co-director)

Runtime: 100 minutes

As an adult, we often contemplate death. Where do we go? What happens next? Will it all have been worth it in the end? There have been several different portrayals of death in cinema; bright lights, puffy clouds, a window into the living world and death is often an awkward subject to approach with children, but overall Soul does a good job of focussing on life and living, even if some of the content or morals of the film could be lost on its younger audience.

The major life questions established in Soul is both its strength and weakness. The film has a compelling portrayal of the great beyond, but I wouldn’t necessarily say I was a fan of the way they showed death – a big conveyor-belt to a light at the end that snuffs you out like a bug zapper. Usually in films covering the subject of death or a lost soul they will often show the audience that they main protagonist is choosing the wrong path by refusing to let go and die. It shows that death isn’t something to fear and that one should show acceptance when it’s your ‘time’. Soul seems to want the audience to join in with Joe’s peril as he races away from the conveyor-belt and dives into the world of new souls (essentially where babies’ souls are created). Here, we are introduced to how new souls and personalities are created. The movie has fun in these moments creating narcissists or apathetic souls but this doesn’t remain the focus for very long. Somehow (we don’t really know where the real soul ended up), Joe is able to pose as a mentor and convince a reluctant soul to give him a pass back to Earth.

Soul deals with some really interesting themes, bravely stating that we aren’t put on Earth to do anything but just enjoy ourselves. Once the film returns back to Earth, Joe is able to interact to the people around him again (through 22) and slowly starts to realise that life doesn’t necessarily have a ‘meaning’ or a ‘goal’. Overall, this theme was handled well and tastefully, but I would say that a majority of it would be lost on its younger demographic. Children understanding anything about regret or passion seems to be asking a lot, but perhaps that is harsh to say.

This ongoing theme did leave me with questions throughout the film. 22 mentions a woman named Lisa to Joe during their time on Earth together and suggests he make contact with her. These moments felt like hints at the true message behind the film, that forging relationships is the best thing you can do with your life, but this was never revisited. It also struck me as odd that the film portrays ‘hippies’ as the enlightened characters who seem to understand and control the great beyond. Rather than feeling a strong connection to these characters, this seems to be an easy solution for Joe rigging the system and moving their souls around with ease.

Ultimately, the climax of the film leads you to a decision you know Joe is going to make, but the payoff seems a little lacklustre. I may have done the film a disservice as I assumed the plot was going in a certain direction and when it didn’t deliver, I was left disappointed in the lessons he ended up learning instead. Soul has some interesting concepts and ideas discussed throughout but the tone seems a little too high concept for children to enjoy. The ending of Soul was sweet and did have some soul (pun intended) to it, but I was left wondering what happened to 22, how Joe would begin to embrace his life and whether the management of the great beyond is really as poorly managed as it seemed.