paulkane-2 The market's been saturated a bit lately with ghostly goings on in the wake of successful movies such as The Conjuring, Sinister and Insidious – which makes it that much more difficult to come up with something fresh and engaging. But this debut feature from writer-director Axelle Carolyn gives us exactly that, a story with a real emotional core but no shortage of scary moments. Recently widowed musician Audrey (Hellboy 2's Anna Walton delivering a standout turn) retreats to an isolated Welsh cottage to recover after a failed suicide attempt. Once there, she discovers things going bump in the night and starts to see disturbing visions of her late husband. But the ghost, when it reveals itself, turns out to be that of a former owner – Douglas (Tom Wisdom from the TV series Dominion) – whose suicide bid was anything but a failure. Wondering if she's going mad or just suffering from the side effects of her strong depression medication, Audrey tries to learn more about Douglas from local couple Theresa (Casualty's Tanya Myers) and her husband (the always wonderful Nick Brimble from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). After being warned against digging too deep, Audrey is left confused as to whether the spirit is friend or foe. Has she found 'someone' who might be able to understand her predicament, the fact she blames herself for what happened, or a shade that has problems of its own? Only time will tell... In the interviews section of the extras, Carolyn freely admits that she was trying to make a traditional British supernatural movie, a Ghost and Mrs. Muir for this generation but with a darker tone. What she has accomplished is so much more, something that works on a variety of levels. It's a tale about loss, sure, but also about relationships and finding – or rediscovering – oneself after a major life (or death) event. The performances are universally excellent, helping with the suspension of disbelief, but the film is also beautifully shot, belying its low budget origins and simultaneously making the most of the atmospheric Brecon Beacons where it was shot. There are more than enough shocks, surprises and twists to satisfy your average genre fan, but at its heart this is a thought-provoking drama full of character studies and insight. Other extras include interviews with Walton and Neil Marshall (Carolyn's husband, but also editor and exec producer on the movie), plus a couple of previous shorts she wrote and directed: the heart-warming Halloween Kid and The Last Post, which is by turns unsettling and poignant (the ending will have you welling up). I really can't recommend this one highly enough, and after such a stunning first movie I have to wonder what delights are coming in the future.

victoria_khachan I'd like to talk about why the film was called "Soulmate".It's known that a soulmate is a person, chosen for you for life time by, you can call it destiny,and shares the same traits and heart desires.At the beginning of the film we acknowledge that Audry, the main character, lost her only love, her soulmate Justin. In the house that she rents lives a ghost, Douglas. Invisible to the rest of the world, but not to Audry. We see how Audrey encounters The Ghost..The revelation that she can actually see him is shocking to her. But she's not the only one who's shocked. Douglas is stunned too. He's never been "seen" by any person, live or dead. They develop a very touching relationship..Feeling comfortable around each other.. Douglas gaining his material form...The question starts brewing at the horizon: is it just a friendship or something more?....What does she feel towards Douglas? What does Douglas feel towards her? Are they soulmates or just two people in the same life situation? Are there more than one soulmate for life? The finale gives us a very clear answer: the energy that fed Douglas, kept him living is not the Love but a compassion for his poor unrested soul.. The apprehension of it unleashes the demon inside him, making him want to kill and hurt...Was it all in his nature or was it a sample of ghostly behavior? Or maybe they are not soulmates after all?..I'd like to acknowledge the deepest gratitude to the creator of this amazing film Axelle Carolyn and the wonderful and extremely talented cast: Anna Walton, Tom Wisdom, Tanya Myers, Nick Brimble. Thank you for such a staggering philosophical and live journey! You guys ROCK!

MelissaZaroski Audrey (Anna Walton) is a recent, young widow who is plagued by the premature death of her husband. She attempts suicide to escape her pain, but her failure leads her to an even deeper depression. She escapes to a remote cottage in the Wales countryside to be in solitude and to work on her music once again. Audrey soon hears noises coming from a locked room in the cottage, only to eventually learn that it is haunted by the previous owner, Douglas Talbot (Tom Wisdom). Axelle creates suspense, both with the accompanying music score and with the camera. However, the jump-in-your-seat shocks happen when you least expect them! I admit, I flinched several times and on one occasion, actually let out a quick scream, much to my embarrassment. Instead of running away from her ghostly house mate, Audrey befriends him, much to his amazement. Their friendship develops beautifully; each one helping the other cope with the torments of their past. There is a love for one another, one much deeper than the other, though.Anna is superb as Audrey; you feel her pain along with her, often with a knot in your stomach as she tries to make it through each day. As her tension relaxes with her new supernatural friend, you experience the warm, fuzzy feelings during their unique moments of camaraderie. Simple gestures, such as playing chess together (as Douglas struggles to move the pieces to the desired space with his energy), leaves you with a sweet smile. And when Audrey feels terror, you feel it with her.This film is unlike any you have seen Tom Wisdom in before; his true acting colors shine through in his portrayal of Douglas. Tormented from his past, he has struggled for thirty years in loneliness as no one has ever been able to see or hear him until Audrey came along. As Audrey asks him personal questions, his silent stares make you uncomfortable, which is precisely what he was aiming for. From his sweet, gentle demeanor to his explosive anger, Tom flexes his acting chops in the film. You adore him and are completely terrified of him all in two hours. His deathly makeup only adds to the character, making him completely believable as a long-dead man.I always enjoy twists at the end of films that I didn't see coming, which Axelle delivers perfectly. An ending that one doesn't anticipate in the least, I actually heard some quiet gasps in the audience around me (myself included). The film was dark, Gothic, hauntingly romantic, and in a word, fantastic.

dave-2340 This is the sort of thing that used to be the staple Christmas Fayre on the TV . You can imagine this being shown as a Family Ghost story to scare the young children and to take their mind off Santa Claus . Its a low budget moody,atmospheric tale that I will guess will flop badly at the box office (assuming it even makes it that far) . However , its in the main a very enjoyable simple drama that doesn't require you to think too much . Anna Walton is excellent in the lead (though she needs to work at bit at miming how to play a violin) . There are a couple of loud bangs to make you jump...a little bit of tomato sauce...a bit of ghostly make up....but other than that there aren't too many really scary moments to have you gripping the seat .But to be fair it doesn't pretend to be that sort of film . Its apparently got a certificate of 15...heaven knows why...kids will love it !