Name: Moira Latina Section: 12-Wordsworth

Date: February 22, 2021 Score : ___/30 points

Movie Analysis: Soul​ (Directors: Pete Docter & Kemp Powers)

I. Plot: What was the movie about? Was it believable? Interesting? Thought-provoking?
How was the climax revealed? How did the setting affect the story?

"Soul" is about a middle school band teacher named Joe, who also has a passion in jazz
and playing the piano, and a soul, referred to as 22, which he met in "The Great Beyond"
after his near-death experience. It was mainly about their journey in finding 22's passion
and bringing Joe's soul back to his body, which helped them discover their purposes
during the process.

The whole concept is not believable to me as I have a different belief about the creation
of life. However, some parts actually happen in real life. Some people find it hard to find
their passion and purpose, and some just take life for granted. Nevertheless, I still think
that the concept about the souls, personalities, and finding purpose that was exhibited in
the movie is interesting and it made me ponder the idea of it. It is thought-provoking as
well since many parts and lines bring lessons that should be remembered and used as a
guide if I ever experience a similar situation.

The climax of the movie, which was when 22 turned into a lost soul because of the
frustrations she had felt upon "losing" her purpose, was revealed in an emotional way.
That part was full of emotions, especially the confrontation between her and Joe. I
believe the makers of the movie did a great job in portraying her negative emotions
through her monstrous appearance.

"The Great Beyond" was a place with vibrant colors, happy faces, and cordial laughters,
and I believe it helped construct the lively atmosphere of the movie. This setting made it
evident that this place was a place for new beginnings and passion. "The Zone," on the
other hand, is a dark place where lost souls wander. This particular setting created the
idea that the aforesaid place is full of the feelings of self-doubt, failure, and
disorientation. The movie described the Earth as loud and chaotic, but it was revealed
that there is still happiness in it at the end of the day. And that is basically where the
story revolved around, the general setting of the film was a rollercoaster of emotions just
like the movie itself.

II. Themes and Tone​: What was the central goal of the movie? Was it made to entertain,
educate, or bring awareness to an issue?

The central goal of the movie was to spread the message that life is all about finding our
purpose despite the many uncertainties. It was made to entertain, educate, and most
importantly to bring awareness about an issue. Comedy was added to the movie to
 make it more interesting. Relatively, it was able to educate and bring awareness about
the fact that some people lose their passion, and some people have yet to discover their
true purpose in life.

III. Acting and Characters​: Who are the characters? Did you like how the characters were
portrayed? Did the acting support the characters, and help them come to life? Did the
characters display complex personalities or were they stereotypes? Were there characters
that embodied certain archetypes to enhance or diminish the film?

The characters were Joe Gardner, 22, Terry, Dorothea Williams, Moonwind, Paul, Libba
Gardner, Curly, Dez, and the counselors named Jerry. I liked how the main character,
Joe, was portrayed. His life and personality were realistic, and the problems he
encountered actually happen in real life. I also liked how 22 was portrayed as a bubbly
and happy-go-lucky soul, yet she still has a terrifying side like all of us.

Since it was an animated movie, the voice actors did help the characters come to life.
The emotions in their voices were clearly expressed according to the feelings and facial
expressions. of the animated characters. I don't think there were any offensive
stereotypes in the movie; in fact, it was able to show the musical history of the black
people. I think complex personalities were manifested by the characters, and none of
them embodied a certain archetype. Joe and 22 were portrayed as cheerful characters in
the beginning of the story, but as the plot unfolded, it was then revealed that they can be
the complete opposite when they face a tough situation.

IV. Direction: Did you like how the director chose to tell the story? Was the pacing and speed
of the movie too fast or too slow?

I liked the character development and how the story progressed. The pacing was neither
too fast or too slow, the story had just the right speed of events. The number of scenes
was enough for me to comprehend the real message that the movie was trying to
convey.

V. Score​: Did the music support the mood of the movie? Was it too distracting or too subtle?

The music was one of the aspects of the movie that I liked the most. It successfully
delivered specific emotions according to each scene, which was impressive because it
just showed how powerful music is in enhancing the story. It has the right amount and
volume of music, not too distracting, yet also not too unobtrusive. Jazz was heavily used
in the film since it was essentially a part of the main character's life, and it gave a hint of
tranquility in some scenes and intensity of emotions in some others.

VI. Cinematography​: Were the shots used in a unique way to tell the story?
 Yes, each frame was able to artistically depict certain emotions as a way of telling the
story; the colors used in the frames were also able to evoke emotions from the audience,
dark colors being the representation of negative emotions, vibrant tones for the lively
mood, and neutral shades to depict a calm atmosphere.

VII. Production Design​: Did the sets feel lived-in and believable to the story or characters?

The setting was not exactly believable, since the whole movie was leaning toward the
fantasy genre. However, the fictional places depicted were appropriate for the concept.
How the world was portrayed in the movie was close to reality, since it is indeed a bit
chaotic here.

VIII. Special Effects​: Were the special effects believable? Did they align with the era and tone
of the movie? Were the effects overboard or too subtle? Did they integrate well to the
purpose of the story?

The graphics of the movie are really impressive, some of the scenes looked too realistic.
The movie is not solely for children, so I believe the graphics were created like that to
entertain adults as well. The effects did not go overboard, and they were necessary to
create the general mood of the film.

IX. Editing​: Was the editing clean or choppy? Was the flow consistent? What unique effects
were used? How were the transitions between scenes?

Of course, the editing is flawless, considering that the movie is from a renowned
company. The flow was consistent, it was entertaining and not confusing. Unique effects
were used in the transformation of 22, when Joe got lost in the zone, when Terry
mistakenly captured Paul, and when Joe's soul came back to his body. The transitions
between scenes were obviously done smoothly and artistically.

X. Pace​: Did the movie flow well? Was it too fast or too slow? Was it clearly organized? Did
certain scenes drag down the movie?

The flow of the movie was smooth, as I mentioned. The development of the plot had just
the right speed, resulting in an organized series of events. I don't think there were
scenes that diminished the quality of the movie, each one of them was able to contribute
to the progress of the story.

XI. Dialogue​: Were the conversations believable or necessary? Did the dialogue bring
context to plot developments? Did the words match the tone of the movie and personality
of the characters?

The conversations were believable and necessary; in fact, those were my favorite part of
the film. There were so many lines that greatly affected me and made me realize a lot of
 things about life. The dialogues were able to bring context to plot developments, since
they clearly revealed the stories of each character. The words used are just similar to
what we use in daily conversations, but in the movie, they were used creatively to deliver
meaningful messages. The characters used simple words and even cracked some jokes,
which made the conversations realistic.

XII. Conflicts and Solution: ​What are the conflicts in the story and what are the solutions
shown to solve the problems?

The first major conflict was the lack of understanding between Joe and his mother. Joe
wanted to pursue working as a member of a jazz band, while his mother wanted him to
stay as a band teacher, wherein he could receive financial benefits. His mother wanted
the practical choice, whereas Joe desired to go after his passion and dream. As the story
progressed, his mother eventually realized that what matters the most is his son's
genuine happiness in reaching his dreams.

The second conflict was 22's hopeless case about finding her passion and completing
her badge. It was then solved when she and Joe came to Earth and faced numerous
memorable experiences that made her realize that the world is not too bad and it is not
too late to find her purpose.

The third conflict arose when 22 was inside Joe's body, while Joe's soul mistakenly went
inside the body of a therapy cat. 22 wanted to stay inside Joe's body on Earth to
continue looking for her purpose there because she believed she would be able to find it
in the physical world. However, Joe was opposed to 22's idea because for him, the fresh
soul just had the said thought since she was inside his body. They were captured by
Terry and brought back to the "Great Before," where 22 found that she had completed
the badge already. They had an argument, which led to 22 reluctantly giving his badge
to Joe. With this badge, his soul was able to come back inside his body.

After finishing the performance that he had been wanting to experience, Joe eventually
encountered the fourth major conflict. He did not have the specific feeling that he was
expecting after reaching this dream of performing with a jazz band. At long last, he
realized that life is not about a singular purpose, rather, it is about living each moment of
his existence to the fullest. When he came back to "The Zone" through playing the piano,
he learned that 22 had already turned into a lost soul because she had lost all her hope.
22's monstrous appearance as a lost soul was destroyed when Joe showed her the
maple leaf seed that was a part of her memory on Earth. In the end, Joe returned the
badge to 22, and the fresh soul finally had the chance to live on Earth as a physical
being. Joe was also given another chance to come back to Earth after he had inspired
the counselors with his act. With the lessons he had learned from this journey, he
promised himself he will start living his life to the fullest from then on.
XIII. Life Lesson: What life lessons did you learn from the movie and how would you apply it to
your daily life? In what way you can connect the movie to the present situations that we
have?

I learned that no matter how hard it may get, I should continue finding my purpose in life
and pursuing my passion. Currently, I am in a phase, where I feel confused about what I
want to be in the future. Sometimes, I feel like I do not really have a specific dream that I
want to attain, and sometimes, there are just too many of them. After watching the
movie, I realized that finding our purpose takes a lot of time and effort. This process is a
matter of trial and error, similar to what 22 did. I may be uncertain about my passion and
goals right now, but through time, I will eventually find my true purpose in life.

Simultaneously, as I go through the process of exploring my passion, I should also

remember to not get lost and just enjoy even the simple things in life. As I look for the
reason behind my existence in this world, I should not solely focus on that singular
purpose; instead, I must live each moment of my life to the fullest.

The movie also made me realize that the opinions of other people do not really matter as
long as you are focused on your goal. Some people may think that I am not worthy or
that I do not have a specific purpose in life, but at the end of the day, I know that God
gave me this life for a reason.

We live in a world full of judgments and negative opinions that may bring us down;
despite this, we should only listen to what our hearts desire as long as we are not
intentionally hurting other people. I also know that some of my fellow students
experience the same uncertainty that I have right now. But in spite of this, we should still
find inspiration and determination in finding our passion and creating plans for our future.
After all, there is hope in everything.