2021-05-21 There Is More to Life

Music is Joe Gardner. As he says in the film, he’s born to play. However, as one of the metaphysical creatures tells him, no one is “born to do anything.” Sure, your passions may be what drives you, but they aren’t what you are. If you’re a writer, you may wake up thinking about writing. You may stand in the shower thinking about writing and then struggle to sleep because you’re thinking about writing.

As Joe’s soul travels through the sea of “lost souls,” the film throws up one of its many surprises. Amongst the sad-looking, hunched over monsters, there are people lost in the flow, or the “zone,” as the film calls it. Another character named Moonwind explains it:

“Lost souls are not that different from those in the zone. The zone is enjoyable but when that joy becomes an obsession it becomes disconnected from life.”

Like Joe earlier in the film, these people are doing what they think brings them the most happiness. The flow state is the only thing that satisfies them, so they get lost in it. It raises questions about your identity. Who are you without your passions? Are you happy merely existing?