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Soulm8te (2026)


Soulm8te is written by James Wan (among others) and directed by Kate Dolan, presenting a surprisingly grounded vision of a future shaped by artificial companions. Rather than leaning immediately into horror, the film spends much of its first half exploring how synthetic relationships could realistically compete with human ones, making the premise feel less like fantasy and more like an inevitability that's only a few years away. Because of that approach, the film often plays more like a science fiction thriller than the horror movie its marketing suggests. While some narrative decisions are genuinely head-scratching, the grounded setup and believable world-building make the story compelling enough to overlook many of its flaws.

Isabelle Bonfrer plays the artificial companion and delivers the film's most memorable performance. For much of the runtime she channels the cold, emotionless efficiency of The Terminator, creating an unsettling presence through subtle expressions and calculated movements rather than outright violence. As the story progresses, that detached demeanor gradually gives way to full-blown psychopathy, allowing Bonfrer to showcase a much wider range without losing the character's unnerving consistency.

David Rysdahl, known for Fargo and Oppenheimer, plays a lonely man whose past trauma has left him unable to form meaningful relationships. Within the context of the story, his behavior makes narrative sense, and Rysdahl fully commits to portraying a man desperate for connection. Even if the character falls into another example of Hollywood's recent trend of emotionally fragile male protagonists, the performance itself is convincing, perhaps even uncomfortably so. Claudia Doumit, known for The Boys and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, has a relatively small but significant role and delivers what is arguably the film's most authentic performance. She brings a level of emotional realism that helps ground the more speculative aspects of the story.

Overall, Soulm8te is an interesting blend of science fiction and psychological thriller that may disappoint viewers expecting a traditional horror film. Its marketing promises one experience while the movie delivers another, and that mismatch may be its biggest obstacle. Even with a few questionable writing choices, the believable take on artificial companionship and several strong performances make it a film that's worth watching. Result: B

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