The market's been saturated a bit lately with ghostly goings on in the wake of successful movies such as The Conjuring, Sinister and Insidious – which makes it that much more difficult to come up with something fresh and engaging. But this debut feature from writer-director Axelle Carolyn gives us exactly that, a story with a real emotional core but no shortage of scary moments. Recently widowed musician Audrey (Hellboy 2's Anna Walton delivering a standout turn) retreats to an isolated Welsh cottage to recover after a failed suicide attempt. Once there, she discovers things going bump in the night and starts to see disturbing visions of her late husband. But the ghost, when it reveals itself, turns out to be that of a former owner – Douglas (Tom Wisdom from the TV series Dominion) – whose suicide bid was anything but a failure. Wondering if she's going mad or just suffering from the side effects of her strong depression medication, Audrey tries to learn more about Douglas from local couple Theresa (Casualty's Tanya Myers) and her husband (the always wonderful Nick Brimble from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). After being warned against digging too deep, Audrey is left confused as to whether the spirit is friend or foe. Has she found 'someone' who might be able to understand her predicament, the fact she blames herself for what happened, or a shade that has problems of its own? Only time will tell... In the interviews section of the extras, Carolyn freely admits that she was trying to make a traditional British supernatural movie, a Ghost and Mrs. Muir for this generation but with a darker tone. What she has accomplished is so much more, something that works on a variety of levels. It's a tale about loss, sure, but also about relationships and finding – or rediscovering – oneself after a major life (or death) event. The performances are universally excellent, helping with the suspension of disbelief, but the film is also beautifully shot, belying its low budget origins and simultaneously making the most of the atmospheric Brecon Beacons where it was shot. There are more than enough shocks, surprises and twists to satisfy your average genre fan, but at its heart this is a thought-provoking drama full of character studies and insight. Other extras include interviews with Walton and Neil Marshall (Carolyn's husband, but also editor and exec producer on the movie), plus a couple of previous shorts she wrote and directed: the heart-warming Halloween Kid and The Last Post, which is by turns unsettling and poignant (the ending will have you welling up). I really can't recommend this one highly enough, and after such a stunning first movie I have to wonder what delights are coming in the future.

First of all, I hope Anna Walton goes far, she's a very good actress. She reminds me a lot of Kate Beckinsale and Rhona Mitra. She was easily the best part of the film, and great to watch. She conveyed a very solemn character in the movie, and her emotions were well done.Parts of the movie, specifically the build-up of the relationship between Audrey and Douglas was kind of reminiscent of "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," but trust me, it ends much differently. Theresa's confession towards the end was unexpected, and it was a nice twist.It was low-budget, but they made good use of the money by setting the story in a very small town on the English countryside. I really loved the somewhat gloomy atmosphere. This is not a typical storyline as far as ghost stories go, but it was kind of original, and I'd recommend it. This is why I love indie film makers; some of the most original ideas are done by them, whereas Hollywood big studios like to play it safer by making prequels, sequels, and remakes.I will say that they could have made the movie about 20 minutes shorter. I know they were building up the relationship, but some of it was plainly over kill. I did have a problem when Audrey initially met Douglas about 38 minutes into the film. He told her that he couldn't touch her. By proving it, he swiped his hand against a lamp, and his hand when right through it. However, he was sitting on a chair. Would he be able to be sitting? Wouldn't his body fall through it? lol. Also, never write the end credits in cursive. It was really hard to read who played which characters. I know, sorry for nitpicking.I gave this a 6-star rating because of the originality, script, acting, and atmosphere. Also, as I said, I liked Teresa's twist at the end.

Axelle Carolyn's Soulmate is an atmospheric Gothic chiller that entertains but ultimately fails to deliver on its initial promise. The story begins with a very graphic suicide attempt by Audrey, a beautiful young musician who – we later learn – has survived a car crash in which her husband died. Audrey likewise survives the attempted suicide but, finding that friends and family cannot understand her feelings, she retreats to a remote country cottage in order to reassess her life.Upon arrival Audrey is greeted by the rather over-friendly owner, Theresa, who lives just down the road with her husband Dr Zellaby. When Audrey later reports strange noises coming from a locked upstairs room at night, Theresa and Dr Zellaby appear strangely reluctant to investigate. Eventually, the ghost of the cottage's previous owner, Douglas, manifests himself to Audrey. Over successive days, Douglas and Audrey get to know each other. As they become closer Douglas begins to take an increasingly physical form. So far, so The Ghost and Mrs Muir, but where is this relationship actually going to go? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is: into soap opera territory.There are no real scares in Soulmate, although writer-director Carolyn does a good job of creating a Gothic atmosphere in the first half. But for one thing, this seems like the kind of film that you would watch over the Christmas season, with a glass of whisky or mulled wine to hand. However, it is hard to imagine the TV programmers showing the ghastly suicide attempt that opens the film. In fact, I felt that this opening sat somewhat uneasily with the rather traditional fare that followed.The actors all turn in solid performances and Anna Walton is very watchable as the pale, introspective Audrey. However, someone should have pointed out to her that when you play the violin your fingers should actually move over the strings.

Expecting an atmospheric and moody ghost story, I watched this movie supposing it would be an average horror movie with lots of clichés in the ghost genre but at least entertaining. Well, it has nothing to do with what I was thinking about! It's creepy worse!! The suspense and the chills quickly were transformed into boredom but the really good stuff comes when a "beautiful" (I would say ridiculous, but OK…) story of friendship between AUNDREY (the main character) and DOUGLAS (her ghost friend!!!) arise. I mean, can you think of a more idiotic idea than a love triangle with a… ghost??! I can't!! The main idea of this movie is ridiculous by itself, but the way the plot develops turns it even worse: The lost love; the old romances; jealousy; the girl who is lost in her life and is helped by the ghost's friendship; the ghost that falls in love for the living girl and wants to be with her forever… Oh… my… God! What crap is that?? This plot is absolutely ridiculous and makes no sense!! Besides this "great" plot, this movie is terribly slow paced, with lots of boring scenes, and the acting is not convincing as well. A straight 1/10!