3 out of 5

Directed by: Axelle Carolyn

…And then we flashed forward to the future, with Crimson Peak, and compared it to Axelle Carolyn’s Soulmate, recognizing that effective gothic ghost stories maybe didn’t need such sweeping period production to feel ‘authentic.’  It’s true that Soulmate takes place in modern day, and the history of the haunted house Audrey (Anna Walton) stays in only has a history of importance to the film that stretches back 30 years, but its quiet and austere approach and the dottings of a romance into the story place it very much into the same genre as Peak.  Working with a much smaller budget (and admittedly much less scope as well), Carolyn gives us the visual cues we need to put together Audrey’s story – past tragedy having her change up her environs for a temporary stay at a Welsh cottage – without expositing too much.  Soulmate revels in silence for the most part, which of course makes the creaking floorboards of the cottage that much more haunting.  Walton’s effective portrayal of her character’s search for companionship – transforming from brusqueness into recovery, slowly opening herself up to the forces within the house – help the atmosphere immensely, her expressions and body language minute, which makes the eventual appearance of Tom Wisdom’s ghostly Douglas – also slow moving, contemplative – one of several small scale moments in the movie that feels powerful because of the muted tone.

Not that much happens in Soulmate, or that you can’t pick out the direction things are going to take.  Purposefully slow, yes, but there ends up not being much story to spread into these 104 minutes, leading to things dragging a bit once each section of the movie – introductions, discovery, recovery – makes its initial mark.  And though I rag on Crimson Peak, there are times one must wonder if Soulmate’s intentions or overall effectiveness weren’t limited by budget; if the spooks or conclusion wouldn’t have been handled differently if it could’ve been afforded.

Still, it’s nice to view a ‘traditional’ film that is happy to take its time to tell its traditional story well, without falling back on dumb jump cuts or ghost girls with long hair.  If you’ve exhausted yourself on hyper-gore stuff, Soulmate can be a good way to break things up.