96 Souls

Extraordinary storytelling and writing for this low-budget feature film. Science meets God when a doctor discovers a chemical formula that allows the human eye to see the essence of energy. The story makes a play for the advancement of psychoactive drugs. The "see smells" and 96 souls scenes are well worth the wait. The protagonist Dr. Jack Surtree "has it all" on the surface, yet his personal life is falling apart. He is facing dwindling research funding, an estranged wife, mother in a nursing home and loyal dog passing away. It seems Dr. Surtree's entire life has been devoted to controlled deductive reasoning with methodical outcomes, and he has hit a wall. Grinnell Morris is an excellent actor in this role, especially in such scenes where he convincingly says a sweet goodbye to his dying dog. He must venture into the unknown to find solutions. With the aid of his new formula and a little help from his friends (a minister, a homeless schizophrenic, and an East Indian doctor) he succeeds in finding a humanitarian medical cure for society. The characters expand on these ideas with heart-felt revelations, delivered by strong actors. I admit to tearing up on several occasions. "When you are free, I am free; we can't escape the effect we have on each other in the larger societal consciousness."

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.

This is a sci-fi based film that moves quickly into social commentary. The main character, Jack Sutree, is a research scientist studying the potential to use light to see olfactory data, namely scent. After an all-night work session he accidentally gives himself the ability to see smells. Soon after, he's begins to see people's souls, or the essence of their humanity. How he deals with this ability frames the film with his actions motivated by his response to events going on in his personal life. A pet's death, a pending divorce, a chance encounter with a damaged, but talente$d, homeless musician and a regent in his department who shills for Big Pharma all affect Jack as navigates the good and bad aspects of this ability to see beyond what everyone else can observe. This is an earnest movie. The tone is set right away as we see Jack dealing with having his beloved dog euthanized. He decides he wants his research to be used for the greater good, not great profits. The writing moves us along briskly, and the authentic Los Angeles locations are a fresh breeze. I thought the cast was put together nicely, especially Rob Locke as Stuart Holloway, Jack's mother's pastor. There is a great scene where he describes an onion in metaphysical terms. All in all a worthwhile movie — there's much to like here.

"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.

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.