電影《靈魂急轉彎》影評：觀後感/非影評

I always cherish "Indie"(independent) spirit: untethered by any material strings, taking inspiration from every aspect in life, creating works out of nothing but oneself.

Life is dull and meaningless when one cannot see repetition beyond its face value. Joe didn't know his hairdresser Dez's passion until 22 asked. Dez is certainly one of those people who are living life to the fullest.

Impermanence, or say, life's uncertainty took Joe close to the Great Beyond and back, he still didn't realize that he was missing a piece himself even after 22 earned her Earth Pass. It was Joe's dream to perform with Dorothea Williams,

he overcame numerous obstacles, finally earned a place in the quartet but still found no joy in the accomplishment after knowing tomorrow would be the same.

Sat by his piano, Joe pulled out the simplest things in life: pizza crust, bagel leftover, lollipop, metro pass. The scenes were so vivid.

Tasting a slice of pizza for the very first time;

Hearing a nameless guitarist playing out his heart on the subway platform;

Being carried away by a piano improv in a jazz club;

Feeling sand and water caressing bare feet;

Observing sun setting among Manhattan skyline.

Through the flashbacks, he then had his eyes on that fallen leaf. Life, joy, warmth, peace, within and without. There it is, it all made sense to him now, he saw the intricacies and connections.

At last, Joe had the epiphany. He was at peace with himself, he was through.

The closing scene of Joe accompanying 22 to Earth reminded me of Kahlil Gibran's poem.

Your children are not your children.

They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you.

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the make upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness.

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He also loves the bow that is stable.

There are so much more to cover: The intricate storytelling, deep and complex emotional intelligence, seamless transitions between realms and the most beautiful jazz score that accompanies every frame.

I will leave that to the PROs.

In all, Soul is one of the best films I have seen in years. it came at the time when everyone's life is battered by COVID. Perhaps, we can all use a little dose of enlightenment to feel the joy around us and to experience life in a new way.