Soul

Soul
Starring Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett
Directed by Pete Docter & Kemp Powers

While attending college at a Christian university, I learned the definitions of dichotomy and trichotomy.  Dichotomy is the belief that a person is made up of two essences: body and soul.  Trichotomists believe that people are made up of three essences: body, soul, and spirit.  Basically I'm just showing off my knowledge here and obviously "Soul" is a dichotomist belief, as the film centers around a person and his soul, and yet it's also very theological in the belief that the soul harnesses the real essence of a person - their memories, values, beliefs, emotions, and consciousness, while the body just houses it.  As it is with most other Pixar films, "Soul" benefits both the child and adult, offering a wide array of lavish animations and jokes to entertain the children while providing insanely deep, thoughtful themes that adults will mull over long after the credits end.

Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is a struggling jazz musician who just got a full-time job as an inner school music teacher to a group of students who (mostly) could care less about music, but deep down he wants to be an acclaimed jazz musician ever since his father introduced him to the music, to the chagrin of his mother Libba (Phylicia Rashad).  Life seems to be on the mundane path for Joe until he's invited to play jazz piano for acclaimed jazz musician Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett), and passes the interview with flying colors, as he's told by Dorothea herself to come to the show that night.  Ecstatic, Joe hops home without seeing where he's going and falls into an open manhole cover.

Joe awakens to find himself in his soul body on the way to the Great Beyond, but he's not ready to go yet - so he manages to escape the escalator to the afterlife and ends up in the Great Before: a place where souls that haven't yet been born yet find their purpose and "spark" before being sent to Earth.  Mistaking him for an instructor, the counselors task Joe with one of their young souls to mentor and find their "spark" so they can enter the world.  The problem is that Joe is given 22 (Tina Fey), a cynical soul who's been mentored by some of history's greatest minds for centuries but is reluctant to find her "spark" because she has a bleak view of the world and doesn't want to be born.  Joe knows that if he can find 22's spark that he'll use it to get back to his body, and sets out to show 22 that there is beauty in the world and a life worth living, and in the processes teaches himself a lesson as well.

Pixar's first African American lead character showcases pure emotional depth and an honored tradition of the African American community in the form of jazz music, which, as Joe's father attested, is "one of the greatest African American contributions to world culture."  While it's a shame that this is also the first Pixar film to bypass theaters and go straight to Disney+ due to the Covid outbreak, it also allowed families to gather together and enjoy the film at no cost (except for the monthly Disney+ subscription).  The values and lessons the film teaches might go a bit above the heads of children, but allows the parents to glean these values and teach them themselves, showing the young ones - and themselves - that life is a valuable thing, even the most mundane events like walking or looking at the sky.  There's also another lesson being taught here that has to prove at least some of the employees at Pixar are child psychologists, because they hit the nail on the head with it.

Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey shine as Joe and 22, two seemingly polar opposites of one another who come together for a common goal - to get Joe back to earth, and find 22's spark.  Much like with any other Pixar film, we all know how it'll all work out in the end, but that doesn't mean the feels aren't there on the journey.  Foxx plays Joe with sincerity and fervor as we see a man who wants to achieve his dream, but ignores the small things around him.  Fey plays 22 with a self-defecating humor (as she even makes fun of her own voice) but also has an underlying insecurity that's masked by this outward laissez-faire demeanor.    

"Soul" is not just a celebration of jazz music, but also a celebration of life, even if you don't think of it as that.  We often go on our daily lives acting like its mundane and unoriginal, thinking that we're not going anywhere in our lives, complacent with our own mortality, thinking even though each day is the same as the next, nothing will happen that will take that away.  Joe felt that way until he died suddenly, and realized the great things life has to offer - and not just jazz.  This is a celebration of life film, one that we need now more than ever, to see the light in the darkness and appreciate every little thing of every little day. 

"Soul" also teaches us somewhat subtly that the words we speak to others (especially children) have a lasting impact on their psyche.  22 says early on, "you can't crush a soul here [The Great Before]...that's what life on earth is for."  While it seems like a throwaway line designed for laughs, it's deeply profound and true.  We're so quick to judge, to condemn, and to speak negatively of other people, and these words burrow into our minds like a tick and remain there, constantly putting us down when we're alone, preventing us from fulfilling our full potential because we fear that we're not good enough - something 22 herself goes through in the film.  While it's hilarious to see the quick cuts of the other mentors giving up on 22 (such as Mother Teresa and Abraham Lincoln), it's also a stern wake-up call for us to speak life and love into people, so we can help them become who they're supposed to be and to find their own spark in the process.  Like with "Up," "Inside Out," and the plethora of other Pixar films, "Soul" offers a deeper meaning than just incredibly lavish and absolutely stunning animation and humor, but we've come to expect nothing less.

Abounding with hope and love, "Soul" not only highlights the impact of jazz but also the importance of life in all its mundane forms, giving us a new appreciation for the lives we get to live on earth and the positive impact we get to make on peoples' lives.

The Score: A+