Soul Mate was directed by Derek Tsang(The Thieves), written by Anni Baobei, and produced by Peter Chan. The film stars actresses, Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichuan along side actor Toby Lee. Both actresses were praised for their roles in the film. They have also received several awards since Soul Mate's release.
Two women have a friendship that goes back to since they were children. Both women have different personalities that balance out the other. One is quiet as she chooses to keep her head in a book rather than talking with others. The other girl is headstrong and not afraid to do anything to get what she wants. The appearance of a boy they met in high school threatens rips the two apart. Secrets, lies, and jealousy are about to put this friendship to the test spanning over twenty seven years.
Soul Mate's plot borders a very emotional rollercoaster ride. Reading the plot puts you in mind of a ton of other films that deal with love triangles between long time friends. This film could have easily gone down the same copycat road but the film does well to highlight what is important. Yes, this film contains a lot of dramatic conflicts that might seem familiar to viewers until you realize that these events are only the surface of the problems. I noticed that the film tries to let you known from the first scene that you won't get a normal same old same old emotional driven story. It plays with the progress of time to show the girl's friendship from young girls to adult women causing you to feel a connection with them. Time really can tell you things about people based off of the different changes that both characters went through in the film. A boy being the object of both girl's desires helped bring on many realizations that were already there but both girl chose to ignore. The big conflict of this film could have been solved if all the characters had said what they truly feel before the conflict got any bigger. Everyone just leaves the problems left unsaid until it couldn't be avoided anymore. While dealing with all of this drama, the film's writer uses her craft to divert the viewer from a hidden mystery in the story. I didn't even realize that I was solving a mystery where the film slowly shows you the truth until the conclusion. A lot of shit hits the fan so much to the point that all the secrets jump out the woodworks like a head that jumps out a jack in the box. Anni Baobei takes a chance at raw emotional storytelling that has an ending like no other. It was really a beautiful ending because it felt mature and everlasting even in the sad events surrounding what happened. I actually clapped when the credits rolled. This is something I rarely do after I watch films unless my heart feels extremely satisfied.
Defiantly can't finish writing this post without addressing the performances by bot actresses. They play characters that go through a ton of emotional changes as well as awakenings. The way one would act showed that she was envious of the other while that same girl secretly wanted what that girl had. Whether it was personality traits or a loving family, Viewers are forced to wonder about the basis in which these girls relationship was built on through their performances. Also which girl was in control of the direction of their friendship. Sometimes you can tell, then other times you can't. That's the fun of watching both actresses act together. They have one scene that makes you look at the screen without looking away. The tension in their performance could have been cut with a knife and I lived for this showcase of talent. Toby Lee was a good costarring actor to these talented ladies. I couldn't get a true feel for his talent but he held his own in the scenes that needed the most emotional depth out of his character.
Only thing I have to say about the filmography was that it was raw in capturing China's different ways of life such as the city slums and the more upper working class homes. I saw a little more of a detailed look into Shanghai and Beijing than I've seen in other films also. The scenes filmed in Russia were so damn breathtaking. The shots catch a sense of freedom for one of the characters. A freedom that wasn't limited by life or death.
I highly recommend Soul Mate to fans of East Asian drama cinema. This film gave me deep feels. My heart is still full of warm emotions even now.
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