Soulmate

The first thing that bites you about 'Soulmate' is the extraordinary scenery. Filmed in Wales, entirely on location I think, it looks breathtaking. Director Axelle Carolyn absolutely makes the most of it.

Audrey, played by the always wonderful Anna Walton, stays at a remote house in the middle of nowhere to piece together her broken spirit following the death of her husband and subsequent suicide attempt. Not only does the house appear to be frequented by a mysterious other, but she has to fend off sticky-beak neighbour Theresa (Tanya Myers) whilst confiding in her husband Dr Zellaby (Roger Corman's former Frankenstein Monster Nick Brimble). This, alongside Douglas (Tom Wisdom) pretty much is the cast, all fine performers.

Cautiously for a work of horror fiction, the BBFC requested compulsory cuts to the pre-credits suicide sequence, as they felt that the risk of imitation was too high to be acceptable. Luckily they didn't feel that anyone would copy the subsequent traumatic incidents involving Audrey, or we wouldn't have this splendid film at all - but at least the public would have been spared any inclination to go out and haunt someone.

Ultimately, the story proves to be slight, and the ending might have been a little more conclusive. After investing in these characters for so long, it seems a shame most of their journeys were left so open-ended.

However, it is very difficult not to enjoy this richly layered, deeply atmospheric production. I wouldn't suggest it is necessarily a 'gentle' horror, but it what it (deliberately) lacks in spectacle and gore, it makes up for in its immersive mood. My score is 7 out of 10.

First of all, I hope Anna Walton goes far, she's a very good actress. She reminds me a lot of Kate Beckinsale and Rhona Mitra. She was easily the best part of the film, and great to watch. She conveyed a very solemn character in the movie, and her emotions were well done.

Parts of the movie, specifically the build-up of the relationship between Audrey and Douglas was kind of reminiscent of "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," but trust me, it ends much differently. Theresa's confession towards the end was unexpected, and it was a nice twist.

It was low-budget, but they made good use of the money by setting the story in a very small town on the English countryside. I really loved the somewhat gloomy atmosphere. This is not a typical storyline as far as ghost stories go, but it was kind of original, and I'd recommend it. This is why I love indie film makers; some of the most original ideas are done by them, whereas Hollywood big studios like to play it safer by making prequels, sequels, and remakes.

I will say that they could have made the movie about 20 minutes shorter. I know they were building up the relationship, but some of it was plainly over kill. I did have a problem when Audrey initially met Douglas about 38 minutes into the film. He told her that he couldn't touch her. By proving it, he swiped his hand against a lamp, and his hand when right through it. However, he was sitting on a chair. Would he be able to be sitting? Wouldn't his body fall through it? lol. Also, never write the end credits in cursive. It was really hard to read who played which characters. I know, sorry for nitpicking.

I gave this a 6-star rating because of the originality, script, acting, and atmosphere. Also, as I said, I liked Teresa's twist at the end.

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.

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 !

It's an atmospheric ghost tale following a grieving woman played by the talented, Anna Walton as she tries to get away from the grief she carries with her by staying in an old cottage in Wales. As she tries to find herself again, she finds that she's not alone in the cottage. Tom Wisdom is wonderful as the hauntingly lonely Douglas Talbot - running the full emotional gambit of endearing and sorrowful to just plain frightening.

It's beautifully shot with slow moving camera and lovely scenery. Wonderfully written and brilliantly directed by Axelle Carolyn who picked a lovely cast of talented actors. Definitely worth watching!