Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

In the Soup Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 12, 2022

The Sundance Film Festival was once a place where idiosyncratic moviemakers could share their visions with a sophisticated audience capable of understanding the quirks and horrors contained in these features. In the early 1990s, the Festival offered a special magic, with 1992 the year of “Reservoir Dogs,” “Brother’s Keeper,” “Johnny Suede,” “Mississippi Masala,” and “The Living End.” Emerging as one of the more popular Sundance titles of this year was “In the Soup,” with writer/director Alexandre Rockwell offering a dark comedy about the frustrations of ambition, the realities of unrequited love, and the determination of opportunists. A black and white ode to French cinema, John Cassavetes, and New York City atmosphere, the endeavor gave Rockwell a career, establishing his unusual sense of humor and love of actors, with stars Steve Buscemi and Seymour Cassell often the only reason to stay invested in this semi-meandering offering of indie storytelling.

Aldolpho (Steve Buscemi) is a young man who’s moved to New York City to pursue his lifelong dream of making a movie. However, he doesn’t have money or contacts, and he’s working with a 500-page script titled “Unconditional Surrender.” Living in squalor, Aldolpho tries to make a few bucks here and there, and his spirits are lifted by his neighbor, Angelica (Jennifer Beals), a stressed-out woman who offers no interest in him, trying to work through her own problems, including her abusive husband, Gregoire (Stanley Tucci). Putting the script up for sale, Aldolpho is ready to throw in the towel, only to be contacted by Joe (Seymour Cassel), a lively, enigmatic man eager to finance the film, working with the director to prepare for production. Unsure what’s going on with Joe but excited to make “Unconditional Surrender,” Aldolpho is soon subjected to the strange man’s demands, asking him to join him on criminal adventures as they begin to form an unusual friendship.

Aldolpho is in a tight spot at the beginning of “In the Soup,” trying to make it day-to-day in New York City, turning to his concerned mother for rent as employment is elusive, or perhaps rejected altogether. He clings to his filmmaking dream, trying to entice producers into investing in his vision, which is largely powered by fantasies of recreating a French New Wave picture. There are odd jobs, including participation in a television show that interviews subjects in the nude, and Aldolpho is powered by obsession, trying to catch Angelica’s eye while she works at a local pastry shop, or plays with her kids in an apartment hallway. He’s lost and only starting to realize his hopeless quest, with Rockwell finding some humor and offering autobiographical touches to get “In the Soup” up and running, depicting the miserable life of a director with no movie to make.

Joe emerges as a man ready to pay for Aldolpho’s dream, happy to make “Unconditional Surrender,” despite its oppressive length and esoteric storytelling. He’s just an excitable guy, remaining in a weird place of enthusiasm and menace as he offers the aspiring helmer a chance to prove himself. “In the Soup” follows this burgeoning relationship, which keeps Aldolpho on edge, unsure how to connect with a handsy stranger and his contacts, including his angry, hemophiliac brother, Skippy (Will Patton). Crime soon enters the feature, with Joe pushing his director to participate in illegal activities, and these seemingly impulsive acts turn into a bigger picture of troubling behavior, keeping Aldolpho pinned down by promised financial support from a seemingly friendly man who might also be a gangster.

In the Soup Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A successful Kickstarter campaign helped to bring "In the Soup" back from obscurity, with the AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation offering a "new 4K restoration" of the movie. The black and white look (the feature was originally shot in color to achieve a special cinematographic quality) for "In the Soup" is pleasing on the Blu-ray, with deep blacks and silvery whites. Detail is acceptable, capturing some facial surfaces and fibrous costuming. New York City locations retain dimension, and interiors showcase decaying apartment life. Grain is heavy but film-like, with a few brief encoding anomalies along the way. Source is in good condition, with some mild speckling. Brief banding is detected.

In the Soup Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is largely a frontal affair, with music occasionally reaching into the surrounds. Scoring selections deliver sharp instrumentation and support. Dialogues exchanges are clear, balancing quieter narration and more animated antics with Cassell. Low-end isn't challenged.

In the Soup Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A commentary is listed on the main menu, but isn't included on the disc.

• Booklet (30 pages) contains notes from Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Beals, and Alexandre Rockwell, a 1993 conversation between Quentin Tarantino and Alexandre Rockwell, and an essay by Eric Kohn.

• "Little Feet" (62:18, HD) is a 2014 short film by Alexandre Rockwell.

• Q&A (33:18, HD) is a conversation with writer/director Alexandre Rockwell.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

In the Soup Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"In the Soup" has oddity and a lived-in sense of confusion, with Rockwell presenting an amusing overview of filmmaking pretentiousness colliding with the reality of production, watching Aldolpho manage Joe's erratic focus as he offers more scams to the young man, who gets in deeper with every step forward. There's commentary on the reality of the movie business, and "In the Soup" has decent character details to chew on, including Joe's hyperactivity and almost fatherly way with Aldolpho. "In the Soup" loses its way in the final act, getting bogged down in New Year's Eve partying, leading to a limp conclusion, but Rockwell has enough of a journey here to hold attention, and there's Cassel, who's unleashed here, giving a downright magical performance as a possible psychopath either befriending or slowly destroying Aldolpho, filling the frame with huge energy and improvisational unpredictability. Rockwell would have an interesting study of moviemaking woes without Cassel, but the seasoned actor brings his special sauce to the production, elevating it every chance he's given.