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Title: The Soul (2021)
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| Cast overview: | |||
| Chen Chang | ... | Liang Wen-Chao | |
| Janine Chun-Ning Chang | ... | Ah-Bao | |
 |
Anke Sun | ... | Li Yan |
| Christopher Ming-Shun Lee | ... | Doctor Wan | |
| Baijia Zhang | ... | Tang Su-Zhen | |
| Hui-Min Lin | ... | Wang Tian-You | |
| Samuel Ku | ... | Wang Shi-Cong | |
| Hsueh-Feng Lu | ... | Stewardess | |
| He-Hsuan Lin | ... | Reporter | |
| McFly Wu | ... | Reporter | |
| Che-Hao Chang | ... | Ah-Liang | |
Wang Shicong, chairman of the famous group, died tragically at home. The prosecutor Liang Wenchao (Zhang Zhen) and his wife, criminal police A Bao (Janine Chang), learned during the investigation: the deceased's son Wang Tianyou (Lin Huimin), the young newlywed wife Li Yan (Sun Anke), long-time partner Wan Yufan (Christopher Li), and even the dead ex-wife Tang Suzhen (Zhang Baijia), everyone has intricate connections between each other. A Bao discovered the appalling secret hidden behind the case... The film is adapted from Jiang Bo's novel "Transfer Soul". Written by lucaszhao-83407
The Soul is a Taiwanese sci-fi murder mystery that is moody and intricately-plotted with many twists and turns. It is now available on Netflix.
Wang Shicong, a chairman of medical conglomerate Wang Corporation, is brutally murdered in his mansion, leaving signs of an occult ritual at the crime scene. Prosecutor Liang Wenchao, who is battling cancer, and his police detective wife A Bao investigate the suspects linked to Wang, including his disgruntled son Wang Tianyou, his newlywed second wife Li Yan, his long-time business partner Wan Yufan and the story of his dead first wife Tang Suzhen, who committed suicide.
I clicked play without knowing anything prior about The Soul and was all the better for it. The plot kept me guessing and when I thought I knew what was happening, it surprised me again. And then a few more times after that.
The production design is technically impressive, dressing Taipei as a slightly futuristic city with subtle technological flourishes. The setting poses the narrative question to the audience of whether what's happening is rooted in science or the supernatural. This theme is brilliantly stated in the opening titles with an image of Chinese gods Nüwa and Fuzi, the co-creators of mankind, intertwined like a double helix which then fades into a DNA strand.
Kartik Vijay's cinematography is gloomily lit and in perpetual muted tones set a murky nasty atmosphere.
The cast delivers solid and calculated performances. Chang Chen and Janine Chang humanize the piece with the cancer subplot but it is Christopher Lee Ming-Shun who steals the show as the complex Dr. Wan.
Any crime mystery or neo-noir fans should give it a watch. Plot twists aside, the film raises some contemplative sci-fi themes in a fresh unexpected way.
I didn't see any of it coming. It's quite brilliant.