The Soul (2021)

Soul searching.

This is an absorbing sci-fi suspense thriller built around themes relating to the immortality of the soul and its ability to reincarnate after death. The city's top prosecutor Liang Wen Chao (Chang Chen) takes on a high profile, inexplicable and grisly murder of a terminally ill tycoon. As Wen Chao examines the key suspects - the son, the young wife, the deceased ex-wife and the business partner, cutting edge technology and superstitious rituals intersect to further muddy waters already tainted by greed, love, hate, misplaced loyalty, revenge and man's futile quest for immortality.

Without spoiling it, I think the whodunit aspect of it is quite well done from the way the suspicion shifts from one suspect to another until the impossible is eliminated down to what remains as the improbable truth. I did not completely buy into some of the motives of the key suspects and I was irritated by the over-acted supernatural twist that failed to deliver the chiller thriller effect it was striving for. As for the howdunit aspect I will just say it was much more fiction than science but this is the case with most sci-fi thrillers. Since it does deliver an interesting twist, it is very forgivable so just go along with it and suspend disbelief.

This movie's strongest selling point is Chang Chen and Janine Chang's performance as the core investigative team and lead couple. The kind of stoic, desperate soldiering on Chang Chen does as a terminally ill man desperate to do his best for A Bao and their unborn child with what little time he has left is heartbreaking and moving. This is really Chang Chen's best role in terms of how he conveys such deep emotions and soul searching with so few words and how his journey gives him unique insight into the victim. Beyond his incredible weight loss, I was also riveted by how effectively Chang Chen conveyed the impression of a man calling upon the last legs of his energy, whose mind is very much alive as his body fails. This is not a love story but because of amazing acting by the lead couple, I can see the depth and complexity of their unspoken emotions, how well they just fit together, understand and sacrifice for each other. This is the part of the movie that will stay with me.

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A pack of emotion, plot twist and superb acting

The story started with Liang Wen Chao (Chang Chen), a prosecutor, was near his final stage of cancer, wanted to do everything he could to support his wife and in born baby. Hence, he decided to take on the high profile murder case of Wang Shicong, a CEO of billionaire biotech corporation.

The Soul is a sci-fi thriller with murder mysteries, and many plot twists. It is heavily dark, blood and violent but at the same time, there are also many tear-jerker emotional scenes.
Despite some overuse and repeat of spiritual belief, I am sold by Chang Chen and Janine Chang’s performance. Both portray mixture of strong emotions, but at the same time resolute, solid and intelligent. Their love is unconditional and that they would do everything for their partner.
Knowing Chang Chen has to lose almost 10kg( 20lbs) to make his cancer patient’s character believable, I’m sold. His acting is stunning. His body movement portraying his character half paralyzed after undergoing brain surgery is impeccable and flawless.
The final scene is smart, but it’s predictable to me: Love will always remain.

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