Soul (2020)
I picture a family getting together to watch Soul and midway through the kids turning around and pausing the film to ask their parents “Are you ok?” There’s plenty of humor and bright colors to keep young ones entertained but adults will get the most out of this film. Its themes of personalities, passion, and true callings are the kind of topics that shatter you into a thousand pieces as you simultaneously realize how little you’ve done with your life and the beauty of all you’ve accomplished.
In New York, middle school music teacher Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) has just impressed jazz legend Dorothea Williams (Angela Basset) and is about to perform with her band later that night. Suddenly, he falls down a manhole and awakens in the “Great Beyond”. Not wanting to go into the light, he gets off the path and lands in the “Great Before”, where souls develop their personalities before going to Earth. There, he strikes a bargain with “22” (Tina Fey), a cynical soul who hasn’t found the spark necessary to go on in centuries. He’ll help 22 in exchange for their pass to Earth.
I knew from the trailers that Joe was going to fall into a manhole and become a disembodied soul but every cell in my body was screaming for Joe to somehow just get the suit he needed and nail that show. I’ve never considered myself a fan of jazz but hearing him talk about the music and seeing him play it made me care. I cared about it more than anything. In many animated films (practically all of them since 1992's Aladdin), we’ve had celebrity voices cast so their recognizable names can be on the poster. Not here. I forgot about Jamie Foxx entirely. I only saw Joe.
As the pair search for the one thing that will become 22’s spark, the film reveals its bigger themes. Initially, this movie is about music. Specifically, jazz. You see the fingers on the keyboard, hear the way improvised tunes craft a once-in-a-lifetime melody that can never quite be duplicated, the way memories and feelings - two intangibles - birth harmonies whose true meaning anyone can recognize. Beneath is an exploration of what makes life worth living. The story contains very Black experiences: the barbershop get-togethers, the interactions with Joe, his mother (Phylicia Rashad), and the old ladies that have seen him grow, etc. It is also universal. When Joe shows 22 his spark, you're reminded of what yours is. This leads to an avalanche of thoughts. Are you where you dreamed you’d be now? On your way there? Is it still in the faraway distance? Is what you think you want really what you want?
All that would be more than enough to make Soul one of the best movies of the year but it even goes further with its visuals. I particularly enjoyed the administrators of the world beyond ours, all of which are a single line bent and twisted to form humanoid shapes. I simply sat back, admiring the technique of creating real characters out of so little. Everything that surrounds them is great too. The characters have so much personality in their bodies, hair, and faces. They're as believable as live actors. The colours used are dazzling. The backgrounds and New York environments lavish. You can feel the city and its people in every frame.
Soul is heartfelt and inspiring, it’s ambitious and passionate. It’s also funny, with a terrific soundtrack. It’s what you wish every movie was and when you see it, stay all the way until the end of the credits. (January 9, 2021)
