MOVIE

About
Paul Giamatti is an anxious New Yorker who finds the answer to his deep-rooted malaise after stumbling upon an article about a high-tech company that claims to have found a solution to human suffering. By deep-freezing souls, claims the company, they can give their customers a life free from fear, doubt, and worry. Eager to free himself from the emotional burden of angst, Giamatti eagerly enlists their services. Trouble arises, however, when Giamatti's soul is swiped by a soul-trafficking "mule" who in turn gives it to a no-talent Russian soap opera actress. Now, in order to get back the soul that is rightfully his, Giamatti must make the arduous trip to St. Petersburg, along the way discovering that the true key to happiness isn't the absence of pain, but the ability to experience the entire spectrum of emotion and cherish the things that really matter.
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Reviews
"Combining elements of naturalism, poetic tragedy and dry wit, Barthes shows a patient intelligence often missing from today's scrappier filmmakers, and she makes wonderful use of the gifted Giamatti"
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
"Barthes takes her notion and runs with it, and Giamatti and Strathairn follow fearlessly. The movie is rather evocative about the way we govern ourselves from the inside out"
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
"The inventiveness of Barthes' story is matched by a sense of visual fluidity that's especially striking in a first feature. Just as important, while luxuriating in Chekhovian hand-wringing, Barthes knows a good joke."
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Extended Details
- Closed CaptionsEnglish