Columbus

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🎙️ EPISODE 353: 05.12.2021 Here we have the rare top critic's super darling that didn't connect with me at all (a wild 97% on RT). I don't think this is a horrible movie, but I can't recommend it. The first feature from mysterious, mononymous online videoessayist "kogonada," Columbus's main issue is – somewhat ironically – the opposite of what makes his internet critiques so powerful. Whereas, their strength lies in letting the images do the talking – many, like "Wes Anderson // Centered" are completely wordless – this film is riddled with a seemingly unending barrage of CONVERSATION, of DIALOGUE, of... COMMUNICATION. What we glean from this isn't necessarily a deeper understanding of our main characters' plight (John Cho as Jin, and Haley Lu Richardson as Casey have big time daddy and mommy issues, respectively), but rather... a bunch of extraneous details about the history of architecture?

The thing is, I actually liked all the talk about buildings and design. It felt out of place and unrealistic, but at least it was interesting. It was when these two fast friends (another issue, all together) started getting personal when I cringed. The screenplay might have been attempting to work against tropes but it was a complete failure. When your characters say "this isn't the movies" inside of the movie... that is as tired as it gets I'm afraid. At another juncture, Casey seems to be mocking the writing itself as much as Jin...


...but bad writing is still bad writing. You can't self-deprecate it away with scenes like that. And so much of the acting is stifled as a result, most notably Rory Culkin as the quasi love interest, but also the typically great Parker Posey. Richardson and especially Chu are doing their damnedest to make it work, but it's too heavy a burden in the end.

I try not to offer punch-ups or alternative editing, but there's so much great stuff here visually, and these actors are talented (well, not sure about that Culkin tbh – sorry!). A film that comes to mind with some similar "indie" aesthetics – which also happens to have a loose architectural theme – is Rick Alverson's The Builder, a minor masterclass in conveying emotion without dialogue. It would be nice to see this again with ~65% of the talking taken out is what I'm trying to say. I did appreciate that they were blasting cigs the whole movie though.

CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 352 - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 354 ⫸

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