Review of Cold Souls (2009) by Nick E — 17 Jan 2010

Quite a weird film, a bit like sunshine of the spotless mind in regards it involves an impossible bit of technology and its a bit off the wall. It stars Paul Giamati doing a good performance as Paul Giamati who has swapped his sould for that of a Russian Poet to combat depression and creative block. His soul is then kidnapped and transferred to a Russian gangster's wife who was hoping for the soul of Al Pacino to improve her acting.

Through the clips I had seen it came across as a black comedy and there are some funny bits in it, especially near the end when he goes to Russia looking for his soul. Unfortunately a lot of the comedy falls flat or is surrounded by to much bleakness. The script is fairly strong but is a bit too minimal and Paul Giamati is a bit to convincing as a depressive mess. The soundtrack also seems to add to the bleakness rather than adding a much needed quirkiness.