I admit, I wasnāt sure where they were going with the theme for a good while. Then, when Joe says if he doesnāt land this gig, his whole life will have meant nothing, and you see the hurt look on his motherās face. Then he gets the gig, and he doesnāt 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 āeating pizza canāt be your passion, thatās just livingā, 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 heās 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.
Itās funny, the film is at odds with so many works of fiction throughout the years. So many stories push the idea of fulfilling oneās dreams and ambitions, but it is far less commonly explored what one does if they donāt succeed in fulfilling them, or if they do and it wasnāt 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. Itās 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 didnāt pan out necessarily how we planned it to.
