I admit, I wasn't sure where they were going with the theme for a good while. Then, when Joe says if he doesn't land this gig, his whole life will have meant nothing, and you see the hurt look on his mother's face. Then he gets the gig, and he doesn't feel any amount of satisfaction from it and is confused by that.
Then as he sits down and remembers telling 22, in response to her saying that maybe eating pizza could be her passion, that "eating pizza can't be your passion, that's just living", and he begins playing the piano in his room. And then I remembered the scene where he talked with the barber and Joe was surprised to hear the barber had a completely different career in mind when he was younger and despite not getting there he's still quite happy and content.
And as Joe plays, you see flashes of events throughout his whole life. And the movie all connected for me.
It's funny, the film is at odds with so many works of fiction throughout the years. So many stories push the idea of fulfilling one's dreams and ambitions, but it is far less commonly explored what one does if they don't succeed in fulfilling them, or if they do and it wasn't what they thought it was going to be. Soul shows us that life is still worth so much in spite of such a possibility: our family, friends, and all the fun and unforgettable experiences we have throughout life. It's a wonderful message for all the viewers, kids, teens, adults, and the elderly, because sometimes we all need to be reminded of how wonderful life can be even if it didn't pan out necessarily how we planned it to.
