SoulMate (2016) on Life and Friends

Everyone wants to have that one person who’ll stay through the best and worst times of your life, apart from your romantic partner of course. But what happens when life becomes the one to pull you away from each other?

SoulMate (2016) featured the story of two childhood best friends who never imagined what life has for the both of them. It showed that no matter how much you’ve prepared yourself for the future and feeling safe with your best friend by your side, life will always slap you in the face.

If you plan to watch this movie, you’ll be seeing spoilers ahead.

‘Hello, My SoulMate’ (2016)

Hello, my Soulmate, also known as SoulMate, is a Chinese film that follows the story of childhood best friends, Anshen and July, as they venture life while trying to stay together just as how they’ve planned their future will be. Although, with the unexpected turns in their life, they try their best to not let life get in between their friendship. Just as soulmates would do.

The movie narrates from the time they met when they were 13. Anshen grows up free – spirited and mischievous while July lives with restraint. They were inseparable despite their differences. They wanted to share everything that they have in life, not until they fell in love with the same guy – Su Jia Ming.

Though the story deals about a love triangle, the movie placed the romance on the sideline, focusing more on the parting and growth of the two best friends.

Reality of Life and Friendship through the film

The movie’s great plot and actors’ delivery left a good impression to the audience. It made sure that they can feel what the characters are feeling. It’s also great that the character’s actions actually makes sense, making it more relatable.

Here are some scenes I would never forget:

When Anshen and Su Jia Ming met on the train

This scene shows the present time where Anshen accidentally met Su Jia Ming in the train. Su Jia Ming asked her about July thinking the two will “always be best friends”. Anshen answered “nothing lasts forever” implying that they have parted ways.

It’s reassuring that people think that your friendship with someone will last long. But, it feels somehow painful when you know that they are wrong. That it’s what you thought so too.

*Su Jia Ming, July’s fiancé, meeting Anshen in the present time.*

***“He’s the one who genuinely loves me apart from you”* and *“Apart from me, no one loves you”***

With Anshen’s relationship with her parents, July took her in most of the time. She found the home she needed in July. She knows that her best friend loves her and realizes she’s the only one who genuinely loves her in this world.

But as they grow up, things happen. So the line where she says that July is the only one who loves her, became cruel in the latter part of the movie. It shifted from the warm acknowledgement when they were younger, to a bitter remark when they got older.

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The first photo happened when they were 18. Anshen was about to leave with the guitarist who she thought loved her. This was their first parting. The second photo was when they were older. July found out her boyfriend took in her best friend, leading their friendship to a downfall.

“I hated you. But you’re the only one I have”

With the line “apart from me, no one loves you” spat by July, you would think that she was the one always needed by Anshen. Well, she also needs Anshen in her life. The whole movie, you can see how she longed for her best friend when they grew apart. Even when she hated her, she can never let go of the fact that she will always want the latter by her side.

*Anshen founds out that July is pregnant and ran away from home. Leaving everything behind, she goes to her best friend as she needed her more than anyone else.*

“..When the homebound July becomes the Free Anshen”

July’s future has been laid down ever since before. Just like others, she plans to go to college, get a job and soon after, get married at the age of 30. Anshen, after turning 18, wants to explore the world without needing to settle down and only live until she turns 27

But as the time passes, things turned upside down. The once confined July becomes the free Anshen as the drifting Anshen becomes the dull July.

“Everyone is a poser. The guitarist, for example, is too scared to die at 27”
– Anshen

The promise they kept

She gave July the happy and free life that she has always wished for when they were younger. As July sees the future with her best friend, Anshen made sure that a smiling July will always be behind her every step of her future life. That’s what soulmates are for.

*July explores the world that Anshen got to see. Just as what she have always wanted.*

Your soulmate doesn’t always have to be your romantic partner. It can be your best friend. The one to hold your hand in the best and worst times of your life. That’s the best soulmate you can have.

Life can be rough, unpredictable, messy, and everything at once. But with your best friend by your side, life can be thrilling, easy, exciting, and insightful. All with the soulmate you’d love to hate and hate to love.