The Soul of 2020

Soul might be my favorite movie of the year.

For those who are unaware, Soul is the newest venture from Pixar in their attempt to emotionally gut punch us to Timbuktu. Directed by Pete Docter, the mastermind behind Monsters Inc., Up, and Inside Out, Soul explores the life of Joe Gardner (Jaime Fox), a down on his luck music teacher in New York City who feels that he is perpetually on the cusp of his big break as a jazz pianist. As with his other works, Docter isn’t afraid to explore some of the most important questions that we as humans often ask ourselves: what is the meaning of life? What gives us purpose? What impact have I made on others? Soul forces us to not only examine these questions through the lens of Joe, but also through the lens of our own lived experiences. The profound depth of the movie is especially poignant as the world collectively deals with the existential crisis known as the year 2020.

The beauty in most Pixar movies is that they are accessible enough for children to love, but thematically deep enough that adults can find something to enjoy in them as well. In Monsters Inc., we explore the origins of fear through the lens of the Monsters, with an overarching message of how powerful a tool empathy can be as we try to break down barriers with the “others” in our lives. In Up, we explore how important the concepts of love, loss, independence, and companionship play in making up who we are as people. In Inside Out, we are forced to examine our emotions and how they control our lives, with the profound idea that sometimes it’s OK to be sad. In Soul, we explore how we derive purpose in our lives and how we often look beyond what we have in order to pursue what we don’t. The main difference between Soul and Docter’s other works is that this movie is decidedly not directed at children. The main character is a middle aged teacher, which is basically anathema to children. “My TEACHER has feelings!? They are a real human being!? They have thoughts, emotions, and dreams!?” The method of storytelling here doesn’t involve a cute animal (well, mostly), talking toys, or the personifications of our inner feelings, but instead a middle aged man who loves Jazz music and who dies 15 minutes into the movie. The rest of the time, we follow Joe as he turns into a formless wisp in the Great Before. Not exactly the same as Bubble Guppies.

As a 30 something year old single dude who feels that he hasn’t accomplished much in life, this movie hit me like a god damn Mack truck. We see Joe floating through life, giving up opportunity after opportunity, obsessed with finding his big break at the expense of appreciating everything else in his life. The opportunity to become a full time music teacher and finally find stability? This will simply get in the way of his real goal. Supportive mom who just wants to see his son be comfortable? She just doesn’t understand his purpose in life. But the beauty of Soul is in this exploration of Joe’s search for purpose. How he goes from ungrateful to cherishing his life, with the only thing changing is his perspective.

It is clear early on that Joe doesn’t see his teaching career as anything but a means to an end. He doesn’t care that a former student reaches out to him and tells him the only reason he got into music was because he had Joe as a teacher. He doesn’t care that his students are in awe of his performance as a pianist as he enters “the zone.” He doesn’t care that he is able to effectively inspire a cynical soul in the Great Before that has failed for centuries to gain her Earth Pass because she hasn’t found her spark in life. He is too wrapped up in what he believes is his purpose, to be a great jazz pianist. It isn’t until late in the movie where we understand that our individual sparks aren’t our purpose in life, but rather what provides us joy and perspective.

This is the real message of Soul, one that is particularly important in 2020, as many of us are stuck inside, away from family and friends, pained by the love ones that we have lost. As we follow 22 (Tina Fey) in her first unexpected journey to earth, we see Joe’s life through her eyes. Someone who has never experienced the beauty of the first bite into an extra cheesy pizza. Or the cool wind in our face as we explore a place unknown. And it reminds us of why Joe is fighting so hard to get back to his life. Not because he finally caught his break. Not because he had a great, fulfilling life. But because he had a life to appreciate in the first place.

You will enjoy this movie if you liked: Up, Inside Out, It’s a Wonderful Life

You will not enjoy this movie if: You are a child under the age of 8.

Should I watch this movie? I cannot recommend this movie strongly enough.