Mr. Jonathan (Daniel M. Berkey) sits alone at home, first with a breakfast for two, and then a dinner for two. As he eats he reminisces of the times before with his beloved wife, his Soulmate. By the end of the day he has a revelation and he makes a phone call to his son–but his son is nowhere to be found. The man on the other end of the phone tells him that all he believes to be true isn’t quite reality.
Soulmate is a terribly cryptic tale that may be difficult to dissect. There is little dialogue, and even less present to fully explain the purpose of the film. That’s somewhat of a bad thing, because people need guidance–but on the other hand, this sort of writing leaves Soulmate open to interpretation. Leaving this film open ended is somewhat inviting–sure, people want answers, but allowing them to put their own spin on things makes things more relevant to them, and it gives the film new, exciting meaning.
Berkey is tasked with essentially working by himself throughout the course of Soulmate. With the exception of the camera, which does play with Berkey’s Mr. Jonathan from time to time in the film, Berkey is on his own. He must convey emotion, he must bring the narrative to life, and he must be the reason that viewers appreciate the film. Without him the film is nothing, and the film fails. He’s wonderfully emotional, and he’s riveting throughout the film–and while things still remain slightly ambiguous throughout the course of Soulmate, he makes things just about as clear as the film will allow.
Soulmate dives into isolation, grief, and emotional struggle–but it never really singles out one of those things, and it never truly commits. This, like previously mentioned, allows viewers to come to their own conclusions about Soulmate. Dealing with a series of emotional struggles over the past few weeks, I found myself gravitating more toward the emotional struggle aspect of the film–and it was incredibly gripping, but even more so heartbreaking. I was enthralled by this film, and it meant a lot to me–and I’d venture to guess that there will be many other individuals with which this film resonates.
Again, Soulmate can be difficult to understand, but at its core there are a number of wildly relevant and emotionally trying aspects that will surely resonate with a great number of individuals. There’s no doubt that there will be some viewers that struggle with the open-ended nature of the film, as it requires them to come to their own conclusions, but that’s what I love about Soulmate. As I traveled through the narrative present in Soulmate, which in and of itself is honestly pretty simple, I felt a strong connection to Mr. Jonathan. I was able to apply parts of this film to my life, and that allowed me to better appreciate what was occurring throughout. You will have to keep an open mind when watching Soulmate, if you can do that, I can guarantee you’ll find something to love.
Written & Directed by Hinson Zhuang.
Starring Daniel M. Berkey & Michael Ford.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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