Review of Cold Souls (2009) by Anne R — 21 Feb 2010

Cold Souls is an interesting oddity about a company that can remove people's souls to make their lives lighter and more bearable, and complications around the 'soul business' (including international soul trafficking!).

I liked the way that this movie's bizarre plot unraveled - despite the absurdity of the situation, it unfolds very logically and is generally played straight. However, I can definitely tell that this is writer/director Sofie Barthes's debut film.

While it's very smart and always kept me intrigued, it never really rises above being a well-executed good idea and feels too much like Charlie Kaufman-lite. Although I wasn't blown away, Cold Souls still was a cool movie worth watching, and it's given a major boost from the good performances of Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, Emily Watson, and Russian actress Dina Korzun.