Vidhi Narula
The 2015 thriller flick ‘Solace’ follows the story of a psychic doctor John Clancy (Anthony Hopkins) who can see into people’s lives from their past to their future. This ability becomes a bare necessity for the FBI when they witness a series of murders committed with the same method but without leaving any traces behind. Agents of the FBI ask John for help in catching the serial killer (Colin Farrell) who always seems to be ten steps ahead of them. ‘Solace’ is directed by Afonso Poyart and written by Sean Bailey & Ted Griffin.
A movie’s title acts as a first impression in the minds of viewers as they get a hint of what the movie could be about. Similarly, the title of the movie ‘Solace’ presents multiple aspects that are interwoven in the plot to make the story gripping. If you are wondering how the story of a serial killer can be titled ‘Solace’, then look no further as we have all the answers for you. SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Does Solace Mean?
Interestingly, we know how important the title of this movie and its connotations are as the movie begins with the very definition of the title. Solace means offering consolation or comfort to someone in difficult or upsetting circumstances. This is exactly what someone needs in times of grief or misfortune. But your thoughts on this might change once you get to know the meaning of the title within the plot.
The director of the movie, Afonso Poyart said, “Solace gives me a chance to explore the characters more than I’ve done before. It’s an intimate journey of three characters – Clancy, Joe, and Katherine–and the emotional components of their stories are the film’s greatest strengths.”
‘Solace’ is a movie that narrates the parallel story of two psychics, one helps the FBI, and the other is the presumed villain of the movie – the serial killer. John can see into people’s past and future by touching them and even see what our eyes can miss. He can touch a piece of evidence and know the history it has been through and the events that surrounded it. On the other hand, Charles Ambrose, the serial killer has his abilities heightened and can even foresee other’s people’s grief.
For instance, in one of the murders he committed, he knew the child was sick with a deadly illness even before he got diagnosed. Now you must be thinking why would he need to know a person’s medical history to commit the murder? This is where the essential answer lies. Ambrose assumes the responsibility of offering comfort to grieving people. He chooses the victims of deathly illnesses to kill and free them of their pain.
Sparing people from the agony of their ailments and freeing them from this world of pain is Ambrose’s plan. He seems to think that he is doing the terminally ill patients a favor by not letting them suffer in misery. Ambrose argues that those people would never choose to live a second more in incredible pain and would choose painless death in an instant. He is offering people a way out of their torment and showing mercy. This is his way of providing solace to people who are infected with various conditions that are life-threatening. He is killing people with kindness, as John aptly says in the movie.
Moving on to the supposed hero of the story, John is no better. The climax presents a shocking scene of the psychic killing his only daughter. And unsurprisingly, his daughter was also suffering from a deadly condition leukemia, just like Ambrose’s victims. He injects an unknown substance into Emma, his daughter’s bloodstream. John couldn’t see his precious daughter suffer at the hands of disease and decided to take matters into his own hands. In his own way, not as twisted as Ambrose’s, John turned out to take the same path and spare his daughter the misery of the illness and did not let her suffer for even a second more.
In conclusion, the movie has various characters that see solace in different things. Agent Joseph found solace in his family’s safety and love. John and Ambrose offered solace from the pains of illnesses to people around them. So, the plot of the movie revolves around multiple meanings and means of Solace for every character.
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