Friday, April 9, 2010

Cold Souls Movie Review

Ted Puffer Review = 2 1/2 stars

This is the sort of movie that you really, really want to like. You want to connect with the characters and the central premise of the film in a very direct and personal way that you end up cheering every frame, even though the movie might not deserve it.
And to be completely honest, this film doesn't. But that doesn't mean that I didn't like it. The film resolves around an actor who finds the weight of his own soul to be crushing his happiness, and interfering with his work. So he goes to a soul storage facility for a sole-ectomy. His soul will be removed and kept safe for him while he pursues his life without the weight of his sold burdening his mind.
What impressed me was that this was the only leap of faith that the director demands of the audience. After this ability for the soul to be removed and confined, if not completely understood, is presented, the rest of the film flows naturally.

For myself, I appreciated the questions raised in the film as far as what would happen to someone if their soul was suddenly removed from their life. The movie suggests that there are changes, but no the ones you'd normally expect. The actor who is the central figure of the film doesn't become an evil Faustian character. He does say that once his soul is removed, he feels empty, but lighter. Beyond these vague descriptions, you are left to see the changes to his body and personality yourself, even if the actor isn't aware of them on a personal level.

All in all a good movie, but it would have been a great short film. They can't all be winners.

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