And so the two decide on a plan: if Joe can help 22 find her spark (which he takes to mean her purpose in life), she will give him her Earth pass such that he can return to Earth instead and carry on living his life.
Joe is given the seemingly impossible task of training up 22, a particularly difficult Soul who has already proven too much to handle for the likes of Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln. The long and short of it is that Joe has died falling down the sinkhole, and his final task before spending eternity in The Great Beyond will be to mentor a soul in order that she is ready for life. The film begins with music teacher and jazz lover Joe Gardner finally getting what looks to be a big break – playing piano for the legendary Dorothea Willimas quartet – but shortly after he gets the news he falls into a sinkhole in the road and finds himself in The Great Before, a place where new souls are prepared for life on Earth. For more information about how we hold your personal data, please see our privacy policy.īefore we explain the ending, it will probably be helpful to provide a brief recap of events up until the final moments. We may also send occasional updates from our editorial team. Immediate Media Company Limited (publishers of ) would love to send you our films newsletters.