Soulmates is an American Anthology television series created by William Bridges and Brett Goldstein. It stars Sarah Snook, Kingsley Ben-Adir, David Costabile, Laia Costa, Sonya Cassidy, Georgina Campbell, Shamier Anderson, Bill Skarsgård, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Charlie Heaton, Malin Akerman, Betsy Brandt, and JJ Feild. The first season has 6 episodes and is now available on Amazon Prime Video from 8th February 2021 for streaming.
After the discovery of the soul particle in 2023, Soul Connex, a clinic has helped more than 15 million people to find their soulmates. They have 20,000 clinics all over the world and one hoping to meet their soulmate is just one simple test away. The six episodes telling six different stories revolves around the 'test' people are taking part in and has kind of created a buzz over the earth. The relationship made with science and advanced technologies, how it threatens the lives of already happily married couples, how the technology is been used to get vengeance, and even to find real love, is about Soulmates.
Writers William Bridges, Brett Goldstein, Jessica Knappett, Evan Placey, and Melissa Stephens did write bizarre stories about finding a soulmate through a test. But they did a commendable job in putting forward a range of different characters and their thoughts, a normal married couple, a sister's vengeance, an open kind of relationship, psychopaths, and whatnot. Here the writers did an amazing job in showcasing these characters' psyche, their inner feelings, and the dilemma that is constantly arising as in Nikki's (Sarah Snook) mind seeing his brother and her friends taking the test and finding their soulmates and now how they're happy.
Nikki's and Franklin's (Kingsley Ben-Adir) hardly has any problems and they're just fine, but has a huge gap between them, like they are shown having dinner, but they have nothing to share, they are sitting across the two sides in the car, nothing to share. Nikki is missing something and that's why she feels threatened by the happiness of her brother and his new soulmate and the end is heart-shattering. The second episode "The Lovers" surprises you with its unusual twists that you won't be able to predict. The episode starts with a college lecturer, David Maddox (David Costabile) unhappy with his dominating wife encounters his soulmate (yeah by the test) Allison (Sonya Cassidy) who came for him, even he did his test years ago and made his profile private.
"Little Adventures" is the coolest entry considering its ending. Adam (Shamier Anderson) and Libby (Laia Costa) are happy living together unmarried but everything changes when Libby's soulmate arrives and it turns out to be a girl, Miranda (Georgina Campbell). How can two straight girls have feelings for each other? But it turns out, they do have feelings for each other, the tension is always there. But for Libby, it is also hard to not live with Adam. Whatever happens here, is it natural, or the feeling that the test has chosen them as soulmates is manipulating them? Well, that's the question prevails in every episode.
Now the show starts to deplete, with shallow writing and characters, "Layover" and "Break on Through" hardly has any impact with its most bizarre story. Mateo's (Bill Skarsgård) passport has been stolen by Jonah (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), a local thief who seduced him. Mateo is on his way to meet his soulmate in Columbia, but this night will decide who will Mateo choose? Jonah or his soulmate? Charlie Heaton from Stranger Things stars in the fifth episode as Kurt, a shattered guy who lost his soulmate whom he didn't even meet or know. But his love for her is unconditional. He joins a sort of, cult that promises that they will unite them with their dead soulmates. For that cult suicide is not a sin, they say. Sad to see, Charlie in an uninteresting role.
The last episode gets your hopes high again, starring Breaking Bad's Betsy Brandt as Caitlin who finds herself in a most unexpected situation when she witnesses her soulmate Nathan (JJ Feild) killing a woman. He says that he chose her as Caitlin has the same temperament and nature as Nathan's. Will she turn into a vicious monster? You will see what she do with her loafer boyfriend. With six episodes, Soulmates is a series that has an amazing idea beneath all the stories, but it did right with the first three episodes and has 'meh' fourth and fifth episodes.
Performances are beautiful as it is filled with an amazing cast. Sarah Snook and Kingsley Ben-Adir truly shine in the first episode. The gap between them is visible but yet they try to dance and go out for dinner. David Costabile and Sonya Cassidy grip you in their world of revenge and hatred with their performances. Laia Costa did an excellent job and Shamier Anderson and Georgina Campbell lent good support. Bill Skarsgård (the clown from IT) and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett are just okay. Charlie Heaton and Betsy Brandt were exceptional.
The cinematographers did a wonderful job in capturing the emotions and feelings and takes you from cities to farmland to narrow dark lanes and are effectively shot. The music in the show is haunting and beautiful at the same time. The production design is also perfect and the editing is just about okay.
Soulmates Season 1, originally an AMC show, is a decent show about some humane characters getting affected by the 'test'. Soul Connex is another kind of Tinder, Bumble, or Happn, but instead of setting you up with partners, it finds your soulmate, who can be anyone and anywhere, your neighbor or a stranger from a different country. It is a hit and miss show where four episodes are really good to sit through but the fourth and fifth were dreadfully boring for me. You won't be disappointed if you steam it. There are some terrific performances to see with some really heart touching and authentic moments, but had the potential to be more than this.
Rating:- 3/5
Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Hope you have liked this post. Follow and hit the bell button to Subscribe and tap on filmreviewsloop for more reviews and recommendations. Feel free to comment or to give any suggestions, I'm all ears.
 - Review : A Beautiful Show where Soulmates are found by Test.){kind=link}
0 Comments