3 February 2015. There is little in the way of shock horror in this supernatural romance, psychological thriller. This movie is unusual in that it is simple in its conception using mostly natural light and the authentic richness of human, mortal psychological depth to capture the audience in its web. This is a slow paced movie that reeks of mental thoughts and feelings and paranoid and romantic emotions. In a way, this movie is the occult version of Diane Lane's story and performance in Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) At the same time, Soulmates has the finely honed thematic and atmospheric setting, but much lighter with back and forth movement than the more traditionally but deliciously creepy horror movie Dark Water (2005).
In a way, Soulmate rivals the much more epic and comprehensive supernatural creepiness as Black Death (2010) during the European plague but instead using a much more relational, intimate setting within mostly the confines of a single house, that is both light and dark, day and night that offers up both bitter memories and sweet possibilities. In other ways, Soulmates offers the richness and psychological haunting of Silent Hill (2006) but with much more delicate, subtle brush strokes, without the need for overly dramatic special effects. What makes Soulmate special is its screen time devoted to the everyday life of characters who literally sometimes develop within the movie, like that of Natalie Portman's brilliant evolving performance and sustained psychological thriller in Black Swan (2010) as a ballerina.
Soulmate also has a more cerebral, yet emotional pungent connection to be made than even than Jennifer Lopez's character in The Cell (2000) that brought horror gore to the screen along with a resonate emotional twang. Devil (2010) mostly shot within the confines of an elevator and its evolutionary horror has echoes that might be precursors of Soulmate released three years late, though its much more overt use of violence is, well, reasonable to be expected to be associated with the subject matter and movie title. However, incredibly as it might sound, there are hints of the atmospheric setting and rich backdrop and almost sedate leisurely pace that can be found in Soulmate as depicted in the Italian setting of the drama period piece Enchanted April (1991) and as immersively depicted rich and subtle as in mesmerizing ghost thriller The Awakening (2011) only released two years before Soulmate. Nevertheless Soulmate doesn't quite have the intense gripping sustained bite of John Cusack's performance and script that uses special effects in a seamlessly scary horror film 1408 (2007) set almost exclusively in a single hotel room. Neither does Soulmate reach the evolving psychological drama that sweeps over the audience in Another Earth (2011). Nevertheless as far as occult psychological thrillers, Soulmate is a fabulous mature contribution to the genre.
In a way, Soulmate rivals the much more epic and comprehensive supernatural creepiness as Black Death (2010) during the European plague but instead using a much more relational, intimate setting within mostly the confines of a single house, that is both light and dark, day and night that offers up both bitter memories and sweet possibilities. In other ways, Soulmates offers the richness and psychological haunting of Silent Hill (2006) but with much more delicate, subtle brush strokes, without the need for overly dramatic special effects. What makes Soulmate special is its screen time devoted to the everyday life of characters who literally sometimes develop within the movie, like that of Natalie Portman's brilliant evolving performance and sustained psychological thriller in Black Swan (2010) as a ballerina.
Soulmate also has a more cerebral, yet emotional pungent connection to be made than even than Jennifer Lopez's character in The Cell (2000) that brought horror gore to the screen along with a resonate emotional twang. Devil (2010) mostly shot within the confines of an elevator and its evolutionary horror has echoes that might be precursors of Soulmate released three years late, though its much more overt use of violence is, well, reasonable to be expected to be associated with the subject matter and movie title. However, incredibly as it might sound, there are hints of the atmospheric setting and rich backdrop and almost sedate leisurely pace that can be found in Soulmate as depicted in the Italian setting of the drama period piece Enchanted April (1991) and as immersively depicted rich and subtle as in mesmerizing ghost thriller The Awakening (2011) only released two years before Soulmate. Nevertheless Soulmate doesn't quite have the intense gripping sustained bite of John Cusack's performance and script that uses special effects in a seamlessly scary horror film 1408 (2007) set almost exclusively in a single hotel room. Neither does Soulmate reach the evolving psychological drama that sweeps over the audience in Another Earth (2011). Nevertheless as far as occult psychological thrillers, Soulmate is a fabulous mature contribution to the genre.