Cold Souls

I love Paul Giamatti and couldn't wait to see a film in which he plays a character called Paul Giamatti. I figured this was going to be better than a film by written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze, better even than a novel by Paul Auster about a man called Paul Auster, but I was totally underwhelmed by the whole thing. I came away with the feeling that writer/director Sophie Barthes was so impressed with herself for having come up with the concept that she forgot she needed to make a film that anybody may actually want to see.

That was a couple of years ago and every time I've seen Giamatti since I've always thought that maybe I was being too harsh. Maybe my biorhythms were off. Maybe I'd eaten some bad chick peas or whatever. Maybe it is a great film and it's my fault I was so unresponsive and unmoved by it.

Maybe it was time for me to see it again and realize what a great film this is, but I've just done that and feel even less moved by it now than when I first saw it.

I honestly don't know why this film doesn't work, but I do know it doesn't and I don't really care to know more than that.

Talking about Cold Souls is almost impossible without mentioning Charlie Kaufman (who wrote Being John Malkovich and other similar ‘far out’ screenplays). Unfortunately, Cold Souls’ writer/director Sophie Barthes seems to want to distance her work from that of Kaufman’s.

If you’ve seen Being John Malkovich you’ll know the script is a back ‘out there’ (and if you haven’t seen it, you definitely should!) – it explores weird existential themes like multiple people living in one body etc. And, whether Sophie Barthes likes it or not, or even meant it or not, Cold Souls if definitely in the same category.

Paul Giamatti plays (a slightly exaggerated various of) himself – an actor of reasonable credibility, who’s having trouble getting into character for one of his plays. He hears about a company who can remove (and store) your soul, freeing you up for apparently anything.

If you can believe in the concept of removing, storing (and even selling!) your soul, then you should at least be intrigued by this film. It’s part drama, part comedy and part make-you-question-the-nature-of-being, but never stays with just one of the genres for any length of time.

Naturally things don’t go right for poor Paul and his soul gets stolen and he has to track it down. What follows won’t have you falling off your seat laughing, nor in floods of tears, but, if you’re after something that’s just a little bit quirky then this one might be for you.

Bottom line: if you liked Being John Malkovich then this one may also amuse.

I was lucky enough to see Cold Souls at Leeds film festival 2009 and it really blew me out of the water.

Sophie Barthes created a mouth-watering concept of being able to remove one's soul and store it and even swap souls with other people.

Throughout the film there are interesting ideas explored in a fresh way which become increasingly inventive and entertaining.

The film's true triumph though must come in Giamatti's lead performance which carries the film loaded with humour, emotion and pace from start to finish.

A real 'must watch' for any fans of intelligent and inventive cinema. Other films I enjoyed massively at the Leeds film festival were Dogtooth, A Serious Man and El Arbol.