Soul
Premise - A black, middle school band teacher with a dream of playing jazz finally gets the gig of a lifetime when he dies suddenly in the middle of the road. Now a mere soul on his way to the Great Beyond, he fights desperately to get back inside his body on earth.
Review - You know, I really enjoy a lot of movies. It's one of the things I enjoy most. But movies that speak to your soul (pun intended)... that's harder to find. This is one of those films that strikes you directly in the soul - not the heart, like many other Pixar films already do. The distinction is difficult to pinpoint, but significant. It strikes deeper, more spiritually, more ethereally, and in a way that's much harder to explain but stronger to feel than even emotions themselves. That's why I think this film hit me even harder than Inside Out.
Soul is a highly spiritual film without being overtly religious - there are a few Judaeo-Christian themes that come into play, like the idea of an afterlife. But others, spirituality is vastly open to interpretation. Heck, the most spiritual character in the film is a guy who just really gets into the zone when he's spinning signs on a street corner. Meditation will also get you there. Because I am so firmly atheist, I've found it difficult to resonate with the concept of spirituality. And yet, at the same time, I feel that sense of passion, "spark," that goes so far beyond the body - I know what it means on an incredibly primal level.
The zone - that's I think what really struck me about this film. It's about passion that runs so deep you lose connection to your real body. I feel that, probably more often than the average person I believe. And there are a number of things that can trigger it - music being probably the fastest connection to a other-worldly experience. But food will do it too, as will many others.
The zone, as euphoric as it is, is not necessarily condoned in the film. If you're in the zone for one thing too far too long, you become a "lost soul". Take an obsession with money for example - lots of lost souls are hedge fund managers. You don't want to lose yourself to one thing for too long because then you lose sight of all of the other things life has to offer.
The message of the film is that life itself is what life has to offer - every little thing about it. The film starts out feeding into a false narrative that everybody has a "purpose" in life - one thing that gives them meaning. It deconstructs that message brilliantly so as to say your life IS your meaning - including everything you do with it. That message gives you the freedom to adapt, change, try new things, and explore yourself. Our main character loves jazz and fights to live for it. But it is not his sole purpose, or his "soul" purpose. There is no such thing.
I love it. I was hesitant about the film at first as it seemed to be saying "live your passion!", a very individualistic argument that your one passion should also be your career. For example, if your purpose is jazz, you become a jazz musician, whatever the cost. It's a capitalistic lie. The film did me proud by turning that narrative on its head. He still gets to play jazz, and may even make a career out of it. But he has so many things that make him happy. I feel that way, too. My career isn't who I am, nor is any one particular hobby or interest. These are all things that I do in life that make it worth living every second.
That spark for life is wonderful and worth fighting for. I am surprised that our main character is the only one who, when faced with death, rejected it so fiercely. He did everything in his power to come back to life, while so many others around him accepted death. That was another reason I related to the main character so much because I am existentially TERRIFIED of death, not because I'm necessarily scared of dying, but because I'm scared of not living.
I've raved so much about the message of the story that I haven't even spoken about the story itself, which is also good. I think the plot is not necessarily edge-of-your-seat exciting, but it does not need to be. It makes up for it in existential reflection and some of the most gorgeous animation I've ever seen. (98/100)
Quote - “I heard this story about a fish. He swims up to this older fish and says: ‘I’m trying to find this thing they call the ocean.’ ‘The ocean?’ says the older fish, ‘That’s what you’re in right now.’ ‘This?’, says the young fish, ‘This is water. What I want is the ocean!’”
What to watch for - Definitely listen for the music. Not just the major musical numbers, but the musical score that runs throughout. The drum interludes are a favorite of mine. Also just enjoy the aesthetic of the scenes that are more minimalistic in color, like when on the way to the Great Beyond.
If you liked this movie, I'd recommend Inside Out!
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