Soul
Every person has a spark (or passion). For some it is painting, others running, and still others science but for Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is it Jazz. Joe is a part time middle school band teacher by day but by night he is a struggling jazz musician who is still looking for his big break. When a former student of his offers him a shot to play with Dorthea Williams (Angela Bassett) one of his jazz idols, Joe is over the moon, so much so he doesn’t look where he is going and falls down a manhole and doesn’t survive. Joe’s soul is sent to the entrance to the Great Beyond but Joe still hasn’t gotten to play with Dorthea Williams and be a Jazz musician, his sole passion. And if he died today, he believes his life was meaningless. So, Joe escapes the Great Beyond and lands in the great Before. There, he signs up to be a mentor for a new soul to help them find their spark and then steal their earth pass and get back to his body before his 7pm call time with Dorthea williams. Unfortunately for Joe, his mentee is Soul 22 (Tina Fey). 22 is more than happy to give him her Earth Pass, the only problem is she doesn’t have one yet, no spark no Earth Pass. Adventures ensue as Joe and 22 must work together to find 22‘s spark before Joe loses his shot at performing with Dorthea Williams and fulling his purpose. Soul takes a hard look at what finding your spark and purpose really means all the while giving us a stunning visual experience and a sound track from Grammy winning duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross with Jon Batiste writing all of the Jazz sections of the score. This film is a delight for audiences while also teaching a really important lesson about what life is really about.
While this movie is a lot of fun, is one of the most beautiful animated films out there and has a powerful message especially for those who struggle with purpose and spark, there is one glaring issue that some may have with Soul, it’s about the afterlife. Pixar really tries to avoid religion and Eschatology (the study of the afterlife) all together. They are very careful to never depict or describe the great beyond or talk about hell other than a quick mention of H. E. double hockey sticks. It is implied that all souls go to the great beyond. While God is never mentioned there is Jerry and Terry. Jerry is the multi form physical manifestation of the fabric or energy or space that runs the Great Before and Terry the accountant of the great beyond who makes sure all the souls go where they are intended. Jerry and Terry appear as shape changing artistic squiggles and they stay a pretty neutral force the whole time. These are the kinds of higher powers Soul depicts: neutral and not all knowing. Pixar really tries not to make a comment on religion and overall they succeed as much as they can when the setting for their movie is the afterlife. While nothing in the movie was particularly offensive or aggressively Anti-Christian nothing really resembles Christian Eschatology. For Christians, there is hope after death. We know that what awaits us in heaven is much better than anything we can imagine. \We don’t long for things of earth. Also we trust that God is sovereign and that when he calls us to him it is in his perfect timing. It’s not an accident or oversight that we can fix. I would only recommend this film, if you are willing to look at the depiction of the afterlife in Soul as a metaphor serving as a plot device and not as an example of life after death, if you cannot do that it will be almost impossible to enjoy the film.
One of the themes of the film that is particularly impactful was the idea that spark and purpose are not the same thing. While on earth inhabiting Joe’s body through an accident , 22 finds her spark, the thing that makes her feel alive, while it is never said exactly what her spark is it is understood that it’s something pretty normal. 22 enjoys everyday life things, like walking, people watching, and trees. When She expresses this to Joe, he tells 22 that her spark can’t be normal life stuff. 22 runs back to the Great Before and becomes a lost soul in The Zone. But Joe learns he has it wrong about spark and purpose; he believes that he was placed on the earth with one purpose to be a great Jazz musician because Jazz music is his spark, when he fails repeatedly at being a jazz musician he believes his life is purposeless.
So often we find our spark and we don’t know what to do with it, we do what makes us happy but then we still feel purposeless. Everyone wants to feel like they have purpose and as Christians we can have comfort that no matter what our career or passions we have a purpose, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We can take great joy that God directs our path, we aren’t left as Joe is to just figure it out. We have a God who guides us and shows us what we are supposed to do with our life and that brings comfort to our Souls.
Soul is a masterpiece in a lot of ways, for a technical perspective is jaw-droppingly gorgeous even on a laptop screen the beauty, artistry and attention to detail brings Soul to life. The soundtrack blends the story, emotions and animation seamlessly and invokes feelings the way only Jazz music can. The voice acting is stellar and in true Pixar fashion the characters are endearing, complex and engaging. It is also unique to see a movie today that sparks discussion and introspection to the level that Soul does. It was the perfect way to cap off the holiday season.
Pixar has always been known for making movies that kids and adults enjoy. Soul leans more towards adults than kids, the themes of life purpose, and the subject matter or death and afterlife as well as the esoteric nature of the film is just not geared toward kids. But it is a great movie and discussion starter for teenagers and adults alike
Written by Madeleine Bullen
Score: 90 out of 100
Parents: Yes!
Teens: Yes!
Children: Older ones if they are ready to discuss the theme for death and the after life.
Tots: No!
