96 Souls

Sorry to say, this is not a good film. Not the acting, the script, the dialogue, the pace.. really, it's hard to find anything good to say about it. Even if the premise had a chance at all, the way it's portrayed completely ruins it. So - two thumbs down from me.

Very short review on this one. The story starts out okay with an interesting concept (being able to visibly see odors), but then devolves into absurdist directing and not-so-special "special effects" that have no sensible or reasonable basis. What starts out as science fiction quickly become science slop. Oddly, this happens at the very same time the theretofore reasonable script suddenly explodes in a blast of profanity. It makes one wonder if they completely changed directors and writers 20 minutes into the work... and decided to throw decent writing, reason, acting and good directing out the window in favor of shock schlock. What began as a reasonable premise becomes unbearably ridiculous-- at which point I decided to waste no more of my time than already spent on this spud.

Sure it has a lot of the flaws you expect from this type of low budget film. The dialogue makes you wince a few times as the writer was going for clever and it just sounded clunky coming out of the mouths of the actors. But the acting was fairly solid (with a few notable exceptions, but not where it counts). The cinematography was quite good, and even the "special effects" weren't too distracting. The editing was magnificent, and in many cases that's the key difference between good and bad in films. You don't notice it unless it's done poorly, and in this case, it was pretty much seamless.

Despite is flaws, there was something about the story, and the developmental arc of the characters, that kept me fascinated. I watched it more like I was watching an art project than a movie, and I was able to really appreciate what they were trying to do.

I watch a lot of indie films, and some are definitely horrific (although many of them have some merit buried in there somewhere. This one was definitely worth a watch. Someone had a pretty clever idea, developed it, and managed to work in some thought-provoking philosophy along the way.

"96 Souls" is captivating from start to finish. The lead scientist at a university lab has his hands full as he deals with personal disappointment and heartbreak at the same time he is fighting for support of his unprecedented research into light-based identification of scent. His life turns upside down when an accident in the lab inadvertently provides the breakthrough he is seeking and more. This low-budget thriller uses simple, but effective special effects to illustrate the "hallucinogenic" quality of his formula – it literally alters one's perception of reality. There is unexpected humor in this film, which doesn't detract from its message about the importance of not abusing potentially exploitative information for harm. It is also a meditation on love and loss, as well as personal redemption. Jack's discovery transforms him as readily as it transforms his field of study. Toyin Moses deserves special recognition for her performance as Bazemint Tapes. Her scene in the mental hospital's music room is both poignant and revelatory, and the young actress is convincing throughout the film. This nicely-written film serves a main course of entertainment with side of morality tale.

I'm giving this movie a high 6 stars because it makes a heartfelt effort to tell a unique story. I thought from the trailer that it was an attempt at low budget sci-fi, and ultimately, it is. But more of a kind of hard sci-fi story in which morality and social conditions and consciousness​ underlie the story.

Some of the acting is amateurish and same for the editing and directing, and dialogue was more like conversation, but this director shows promise (up to a point). And his story is engaging. Despite the flaws, I never wanted to stop or turn off at any point.

Most importantly, it kept me entertained. And that, ultimately, is ​the task of any story. 5 stars for actual effort and an extra for daring something unique.