Cold Souls

In response to shiny, bigger, better American consumerism comes Cold Souls, a metaphysical tragicomedy in which souls can be extracted and traded as commodities. Balancing on a tightrope between deadpan humor and pathos, and between reality and fantasy, the film presents Paul Giamatti as himself, agonizing over his interpretation of Uncle Vanya. Paralyzed with anxiety, he stumbles upon a solution via a New Yorker article about a high-tech company promising to alleviate suffering by deep-freezing souls. Giamatti enlists their services, intending to reinstate his soul once he survives the performance. But complications ensue when a mysterious, soul-trafficking “mule,” transporting product to and from Russia, “borrows” Giamatti's stored soul for an ambitious, but unfortunately talentless, soap-opera actress. Rendered soulless, he is left with no choice but to follow the trail back to bleak St. Petersburg. He comes to value that happiness isn’t merely the absence of pain, but the integration of the full range of emotion into life.Sophie Barthes’s debut feature is strikingly original, not only for its haunting concept but for its poetic execution. Inspired production design and lyrical cinematography create a melancholic, heightened world. Perfectly cast, Giamatti and a gifted ensemble maneuver seamlessly through shifting ontological landscapes without ever betraying the surrealism. With this dazzling accomplishment, Barthes establishes herself as an auteur to reckon with.
CAST
Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun, David Strathairn, Emily Watson, Katheryn Winnick, Lauren Ambrose

Sophie Barthes - Sophie Barthes was born in France and grew up in the Middle East and South America. A Columbia University graduate, Barthes wrote and directed the short film Happiness, which screened at Sundance in 2007. Happiness and Cold Souls both received New York State Council on the Arts artists grants and won Showtime Tony Cox Awards for best screenplays. Barthes completed a residency at the Nantucket Screenwriters Colony and the 2007 Sundance Directors Lab. Filmmaker magazine named her as one of "25 New Faces of Independent Film."

Screenings:

Sat. Jan 17 5:15 p.m. - COLDS17RE Racquet Club, Park City
Sun. Jan 18 11:15 a.m. - COLDS18RD Racquet Club, Park City
Mon. Jan 19 6:00 p.m. - COLDS19WE Tower Theatre, SLC
Wed. Jan 21 12:15 p.m. - COLDS21CD Eccles Theatre, Park City
Fri. Jan 23 6:00 p.m. - COLDS23SE Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Sat. Jan 24 8:30 a.m. - COLDS24PM Prospector Square Theatre, Park City