Review: Life, Death… Life?

by Corban R.

How much of life do we take for granted? How much time do we really have on this Earth? Where do our personalities come from? What is our purpose for living? All will be answered in time through Disney Pixar’s Christmas present of a film, “Soul”.

“Soul” tells the story of Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a middle school band teacher who finally gets his big break as a jazz musician. However, after an unfortunate accident while hastily running home, his soul is separated from his body and lands in “The Great Before,” where unborn souls get their personalities before becoming babies on Earth. Unwilling to die before he gets his chance to shine, Joe teams up with 22 (Tina Fey), a soul with a fierce determination to stay off Earth, and so begins the mission to reunite Joe with his body in time to play with the famed Dorthea Williams Quartet that night.

The adventure is a wild chase back and forth between Earth and The Great Before as Joe leads 22 through a beautifully animated New York City, complete with smells, tastes, taxis, and subways, and watches in awe when she shows him the outer reaches of The Great Before, a silky smooth land where pink pirate ships and Picasso-style guides exist in harmony. From the bouncy joy of unborn souls to Joe’s disquieted mother, the characters are rich with personality and swag grounded in New York African-American culture. The bubbly songs of the Great Before accompany Joe as he learns about what the true “meaning of life” is, evenly balanced by jazz music that fills the air as 22 experiences what it means to be alive, and to truly appreciate life for all that it has to offer. And even rap music has its place; while 22 and Joe walk the halls of Joe’s life in The Great Before, 22 laughs at the rap group Joe joined back when he was a teenager. “Rappin Ced is the name, and you should get it right!”

Eventually, Joe is delivered back into his body and plays with the Dorthea Williams Quartet, only to find it is not as fulfilling as he hoped. Also feeling guilty about how he selfishly left 22 in The Great Before, Joe finds a way to travel back and reassures her that she’s ready to live on Earth, despite her deepest fears that something is wrong with her. Joe’s gentle persuasion convinces 22 to finally go and live her life on Earth, and the touching ending reaches deep through layers of doubt and worry to speak to all people, reminding them that everyone has a purpose and that life is indeed worth living.