In The Soup Film Analysis: Loneliness, Existential dread, And In The Business Of Nonsense
“My father died the day I was born. I was raised by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Friedrich Nietzsche. When I was twelve my mother took me to a psychic who said that in a past life I was hit in the head by a movie camera and I died not knowing my own name. He said that’s why in this life time I’d be allergic to film. He must’ve had the wrong guy. I’m a filmmaker.
Frederich Nietzsche (Daddy 2) said that “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” Dostesvsky (Daddy 2) said that “Beauty will save the world.”
We can give all the explanations we have in our collection of excuses, justifications, or whatever we like to call them, but the “I’m a filmmaker” line makes In The Soup unique in that it is a film that speaks to the heart, soul, the pain, and even the absurdity in which an artist can carry in the identity that they craft when making their mark in a chaotic world that does everything its power to destroy or corrupt beauty. In The Soup speaks to the soul of every artist in that although applied in a comedic manner, it still carries a sense of heart that hits too close to the broken home every artist finds themselves in as they navigate what is essentially a state of perpetual uncertainty. And this only adds even greater absurdity to the passion they still manage to keep alive, even when everything else around them seems like its going to the shit abyss each of us is forced to stare into and not be tempted to blink whenever another inch is added to the pile.
Adolfo Rollo (Steve Buscmi) is a filmmaker, and he repeatedly stresses the honor in which he wears this badge, hoping it will be enough to help mitigate the silent agony he undergoes over the course of the film. Adolfo is pretty much the portrait of a struggling artist. He’s riddled with self-doubt, financial ruin, and the burning artistic desires that aim to embody the cultural significance of the same hero’s that helped him cultivate his inherent love for his art. Sadly, this love hasn’t gotten him far enough in life to truly take the necessary risks to help him escape the rut he and many other creators like him always make a home out of over the course of what often feels like a slow, meanderingly empty journey. That all changes the moment he meets Joe (Seymour Cassel)
At first glance, Joe appears like the typical smooth-talking con artist only a real artist can turn to once desperation has smacked enough reality into their system that they eventually concede in parting with the one masterpiece they put so much of their heart and soul into that a quick pay day is the only sane option left for them to embrace come rent time. The first meeting with Joe signals all the warning bells, but those fade as a result of his eccentric nature, which serves as the breeding ground for a friendship that carries both characters throughout the entirety of the film to places that both grant them perspective, as well as more insight into the theme of absurdity that plagues Adolfo and even a confidence powerhouse like Joe.
It’s very strange to watch In The Soup and feel that Adolfo’s dream of completing his masterpiece, which is titled “Unconditional Surrender” will actually come to fruition given the number of detours and distractions he and his partner Joe embark on rather than actually making the film, and whilst simultaneously talking about making a film. There’s an irony to the use of the title “Unconditional Surrender, and not just because it works as the perfect statement embodying the spirt of any dedicated artist and the fortitude they carry just so that they never admit defeat. But when combined with the absurdist tone that dominates the structure of In The Soup’s narrative, it adds an even greater sense of heart to the story and the arcs of both Adolfo and Joe, who goof off and commit crimes in order to finance a film that never comes to life, yet continues to burn in their minds like an undying fire, or a unyielding sense of purpose many can relate to.
The passion and artistic tastes Adolfo aspires to when expressing his love for auteurs like Tarkovsky and Renoir, his dedication to the film’s completion is genuine. Joe on the other hand, although seemingly enthusiastic, borders more on a performative sense of excitement whenever he does show interest in Adolfo’s passion, and this demonstration only succeeds in the elimination of any confidence Adolfo has in completing the very picture which becomes more and more of a background thought throughout the course of this film in favor of the bizarre and seemingly pointless actions both men engage in. One particular moment is the small but whimsically performed dance scene Joe has where after having the beginning of what seemed like a great night in the works ruined, he still proceeds with keeping the fire that started the night going by dancing in the street, almost as if nothing bad happened to kill the mood of a moment his mind had given so much magic to. On the surface, this seems like nothing more than a desperate act of a childish man who is unwilling to face the emptiness he finds himself. But this only speaks to a higher degree regarding the entire point of the film, and that is in finding a point when everything seems pretty pointless.
In The Soup is presented as a comedy, but it is also a love story. It’s the kind of love story we don’t usually see because most of them are presented as the standard romantic love affair between a man and woman. The love story of In The Soup is centered more on a platonic bond between two men who are eager to be part of something, or be “in the soup” as Joe states when he tells Adolfo that he wants to be in business with him in the making of his film. It’s not simple at first glance because the bizarre and incredibly eccentric antics of Joe can leave anyone as baffled and confused as Adolfo is left in the gullibility that characterizes much of his own willingness to trust and accompany a man he doesn’t understand yet still feels drawn to, which is a very human thing in a world like ours that does everything to eradicate curiosity and authenticity.
Isolation is a common thing in western culture, and although this is often conflated with the rise of social media platform which propel much more efficient modes of communication, it has only added to the social distance we already embraced long before smart devices made us into prisoners of our own egocentric vices. An artistic endeavor such as writing or making a film can serve as a good way of combatting the loneliness brought on by chronic isolation, and through the friendships between Joe and Adolfo, whether their film is made or not is irrelevant when it was the journey that they embarked on together that speaks to a much higher degree about what this film is about.
In The Soup is many things. It’s a film about the value of artistic integrity, the feeling of absurdity in life that many people undergo in a world that’s cruel and unforgivingly pointless, and it is a story about love. It’s a tale of how love can add some sense to a lot of the nonsense we are dealt with.
“I guess I’ll never know if he was serious about making my film, or if he was just using me. It doesn’t matter. When I make my movie, it’ll be a love story.” That final line of the film is then followed by a montage of all the adventures both Adolfo and Joe had over the course of the film. In The Soup’s story captures the reality of an artist’s struggles in making sense of what is perpetually perceived as senseless. But looking closely at the cast of outcasts it presents and the bond forged in their participation of what seems like a narrative absurdity, the claim Adolfo makes about his film being a love story adds a meta component in its ability to encapsulate the deeper meaning behind a tale that could easily be looked at through a cynical lens rather than the more optimistic one presented by Tim Kissell and Alexandre Rockwell’s incredible writing.
In The Soup has many things going for it. But in the end, it wouldn’t be the great love story that it is without the love of someone who truly wanted to speak about the burning urge every artist like Adolfo has in their desire to share their voice with the world. The same goes for a guy like Joe, who despite being deceptive and difficult to fully trust, carries his own ambition to make a mark on the world, even if he secretly knows not many people are watching. In the end, this film is about the human condition, the many complexities that define it, and the ultimate aim each of us has in making every action mean something even when we’re all just part of one big nothing soup.
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
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