‘Soul’ is an existential odyssey, walking on the blurry distinctions of ‘Passion’ & ‘Purpose’
By: Rohan Palodhi
Tags: Disney Plus, Animation, Disney, Pixar, Film Reviews

‘Soul’ is an enquiry into the existence of life and all the peripheries of our quest as humans. Oozing out with it’s gorgeous and pitch perfect animation, this film might just be Pixar’s latest masterpiece

Co-writer and director Pete Docter along with Kemp Powers and Mike Jones, grasps us into the worlds of pre-birth, post-death and every fabric tying the two flanks of life, from taking birth to the day of ultimatum. Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a middle-school music teacher feeling dejected in his current position at work, is pursing his dream of a career in Jazz. Joe’s mother wants him to take up a steady job instead of going on gigs and tours. Chances bring Joe closer to his dream of playing at an opening in the band of jazz legend Dorothea Williams(Angela Bassett). But fate plays its cards and this time not to Joe’s favor, he falls down a manhole and finds himself as a soul on bound towards the ‘great beyond’. Joe determined to go back to earth for his maiden gig reverts his fate and decides to return to his body back at earth. He manages to sneak into the ‘great before’ where personalities are put into souls before they come to earth. Joe with his intention of going back to earth takes on an assignment to help an unborn soul ‘22’(Tina Fey) to find her spark and find his way back home.

‘22’ & ‘Joe’ at ‘The Great Before’

‘Soul’ is an enquiry into the existence of life and all the peripheries of our quest as humans. Oozing out with it’s gorgeous and pitch perfect animation, this film might just be Pixar’s latest masterpiece. ‘Soul’ is definitely by all means not a children’s film. Though there are a handful of genuinely funny moments which are innate to every other Pixar movie, the questions being pondered upon are beyond the horizons of a 12 year-old. But this is the very reason why Pixar remains a distinct voice from other animation houses. Be it Toy story, ratatouille or Pete Docter’s other directorial ventures Up!, Inside out and Monster inc. all of these films have presented the viewers with some of the very elemental discourses we face as human beings at every age-group.

Joe in ‘The Zone’

With their latest venture ‘Soul’ the makers decided to digress one of the monumental question of human life- ‘it’s purpose.’ And to it’s advantage the film renders all this questions against the backdrop of jazz. Jazz in itself is a genre which not everybody understands, it lacks a proper structure and leans heavily towards improvisation and instincts. That’s why no same music in jazz can ever be performed exactly the same again at some other live concert. All the jazz performers play with their instincts and emotions, which in unison sounds like a harmony in chaos. Jazz thrives out of inspiration, living in the moment, identifying the room and all the player’s energy. Similarly, in the third act of the movie Joe after his maiden gig with Dorothea Williams asks her why was he not feeling any different when the gig was all that he wanted to do in his life. He later realizes in a moment of epiphany that life was always about the little moments, listening to one’s instincts, soaking in the emotion, taking chances and staying in the moment. Just like Jazz itself.

From the very beginning of our childhood we are often asked what is that we wish to be? What is our purpose? When the question should be 'what is that we love’. ’22’ at a point in the film tells Joe that maybe she has finally found her spark and that it was sky-watching or maybe even walking. Joe replies casually that they were just regular old living. Walking on the promenade of life we often forget that life in itself is a gift, our purpose can never be limited to our passion, it can add a spark to your life and maybe even put you in a state of nirvana or ‘the zone’ as the film calls it. But it should never be our only purpose of existence.