Cold Souls (2009)

Director:

Sophie Barthes

Writer:

Sophie Barthes (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 2009 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A soul searching comedy.

Plot:

Paul is an actor who feels bogged down by his participation in a production of Chekov's play, Vanya. |

Plot Keywords:

Actor Playing Himself | Soul Selling

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Paul Giamatti	...	Paul
Dina Korzun	...	Nina
Emily Watson	...	Claire
David Strathairn	...	Dr. Flintstein
Katheryn Winnick	...	Sveta
Lauren Ambrose	...	Stephanie
Boris Kievsky	...	Oleg
Oksana Lada	...	Sasha
Natalia Zvereva	...	Anastasia
Rebecca Brooksher	...	Yelena
Yevgeniy Dekhtyar	...	Hotel Receptionist
Floanne Ankah	...	Ballerina
Fabrizia Dal Farra	...	Ballerina
Polina Gorokhovskaya	...	Sophisticated Prostitute
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Aronov	...	Mafioso
Seth Austin	...	Androgynous Person
Marie-Pierre Beausejour	...	Sonya
Kevin Cannon	...	Angry Protestor
Erin Cronican	...	Assistant to Director
Alexandra Donhoeffner	...	Ballerina
John Farrer	...	Dream Sequence Violinist
Gabriel Furman	...	Russian Soap Doctor
Laura Heisler
Ted Koch	...	INS Officer
Gregory Korostishevsky	...	Yuri
Eliezer Meyer	...	Russian Airline Passenger
Armand Schultz	...	Astrov
Stella Stark	...	Paul's young mother
Wendy Rich Stetson	...	Soul Storage Mother
Michael Stuhlbarg	...	Hedge Fund Consultant
Michael Tucker	...	Frank- Director

Also Known As:

Almas frías (Argentina) (festival title) [es]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for nudity and brief strong language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44960) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:9 | New Zealand:M

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Films

Trivia:

The film was inspired by a dream in which Woody Allen discovers that his soul looks just like a chickpea.

I loved this movie, and you will too. Here's why....

Often, attempts at satire or surrealism fall flat. The jokes are silly, or the situations not credible. But when they do work, they provide those unique gems of an experience that are hard to forget Such is the case for Cold Souls. Sophie Barthes did a magnificent job of making a surrealistic story credible, with serious characters, and involving emotions. Her camera work and lensing are impeccable, and the performance by Paul Giamati is so sincere and moving that it raises the movie. Sophie takes us through a world where one can have their soul removed, then shows us the consequences. And she does so in such a way as to keep the entire situation credible. This makes for a unique film experience, which is so refreshing.

The humor is amazing. Paul is such a terrific actor, he plays his satire with utter credibility, and in a profoundly moving way. That he is able to pull such credibility out of such situations is a testament to his acting ability. After seeing this, I now regard him as one of our best actors, period.

Everyone in the theater was laughing out loud at the cleaver humor and odd situations. If you're looking for wonderful, thought provoking entertainment, above the masses, I thoroughly recommend this movie.