Soul is a Pixar film that came out in 2020, and likely missed a wider audience because
of the pandemic. I was finally able to view the movie recently. Soul explores the topic of death and afterlife, which it refers to as “the great beyond”, in a way that involves jazz, amazing animation and imagination. What does this have to do with hope?
Without giving too much of the plot away, the main character and jazz musician Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) experiences a sudden accident, where he is thrust into “the great beyond”, between life and death. Joe is given an assignment to be a mentor, guided by the characters in “the great beyond.” Joe walks with a young soul who has not yet found her “spark” or purpose, named “22”. Soul “22” has challenged many mentors trying to assist her in
finding her “spark”. What “22” really needed was to find hope. If a soul starts losing hope, they become “lost”, not able to find what excites them about life, as well as their
sense of purpose.
The scene that touches me the most is when Joe sees for himself the negative “voices” that “22” hears in her head. It’s hard to find hope when you are bombarded with messages that you are a failure. Joe had to reach “22” to remind her that her “spark” was all the good things she experienced in her adventures of exploring her purpose. Humans find hope when they connect with each other. We can’t feel our spark or find our purpose if we isolate. In helping another find theirs, Joe finds his spark and purpose too.
~Jen Garrison
