Jolucy
To me, neither of them knows what love is.Charlotte can leave her 4-year-living- together-love relationship behind and sleeps with every man she met without feelings or guilt. It seems only sensation counts to her; only herself is important to her. She doesn't know how to love and cares only for herself.Veronica is a transsexual to be. S/He tries to look like women, dress like women, and act like women. S/He wishes to become a real woman, but before that s/he is a woman trapped in a man's body. Under this condition, s/he couldn't face herself/himself; s/he finds herself/himself ugly, lonely, and stuck. Being like this, s/he can not love herself/himself, not to speak loving other people.The encounter between these two unloving people sparks. They seem trying to find the ability and strength to love one another, but failed and failed again. This love pilgrim goes on and on; till the end of film, we still can't tell if they find the love they want. Perhaps this film really is a reflection of life in everydayness.
Michel Tillie
The film starts with Carolina, hectic owner of a beauty parlor having just moved out from boyfriend Kristian, into the apartment over Veronika. Veronika drags along watching soaps, occasionally fulfilling wishes of sex clients, and desperately awaiting her operation transforming her into the woman she wants to be. After yet another confrontation with her well meaning mother Veronika attempts suicide. Carolina above wakes up, finds her, gets her to hospital and takes Veronika's dog, miss Daisy into her care. After Veronika returns, the neighbours find an interest for each other, in the turmoil of their search for affection with others. During a wild party à deux they even come to feel more, for which however there seems to be no room.At the beginning the film made me fear I'd come to watch a trendy and fatiguing freak show frenzy, but hanging on it got me more and more interested in the slowly developing strand of tenderness in the middle of these rather chaotic scenes.With the pink borders of kitsch the film owns to its title (the cliffhanger like voice-over asking the viewer what may come next, the zooming in on the blossoms outside the apartment block where it all takes place) the film convinced me eventually with its moving depiction of the ensuing blossoming of feelings between the main characters. All of this filmed with Dogma-inspired directness, closeness en nervousness, which I don't mind at all.
scarletpimpernel_avanti
The Soap is an interesting movie and very brilliant at parts. You must watch it for its strong characterisation and the risks the plot about two troubled individuals falling in love takes. You must know the story through various other reviews, so lets speak about what is brilliant about this movie.Firstly, the two protagonists are so real and such intriguing personalities. The first being a woman who has opted out of a four year relationship and is angry enough to sleep with anyone coming her way. The second being a man who has always wanted to be a woman, whose pain and loneliness is shown with so much sensitivity and brilliance. You hate the former and your heart bleeds for the latter.The second thing about this movie is the entire concept of loving one for who one is, irrespective of gender. So, would you still love your partner if he/she were to change his/her sex? The movie explores that idea and it is a beautiful one.But there is one point where the movie fails. I wish the relationship between the protagonists had developed in a better way. That what they feel is love doesn't come across till the end. But watch it, and post your thoughts on it here.......
mepaloma
This film is a very beautiful and slow film. There is nothing Hollywood about it. It is very danish and the characters are very real. It is the first danish film to take up this transsexual theme. It is really about love that has no gender. I would not say it is about lesbian love even though the two main characters (the transsexual veronika and Charlotte) are attracted to each other. It is a story about love and life.The story pretty much takes place in the two apartments. There is almost no background music, which makes it seem more real and intense. The two actors playing the main characters are great. They really make them seem real. They are not archetypes, but real people you could meet in the street. I think it is the first time I have seen a transsexual portrayed this well. Very well done.