I find quiet, comfort films very hard to come by as it is often difficult to make a soothing movie without a lack of conflict. Thankfully, after hearing so much about this particular film, I can safely say that no other movie has really made me feel at peace with the relative stasis of my current life. Kogonada's Columbus is an outstanding piece of art that meticulously personifies the worries and wonders of complacency and figuring out what each person has been put here on Earth to do. This film provides such an excellent look into these two different characters and the anxieties and hopes that they share about the simplest things in life. The hilarious John Cho takes such a fantastic dramatic turn paired with a powerhouse of an emotional performance from the typically supporting Haley Lu Richardson. Together, they work so fluidly with the mind-blowingly stunning cinematography to make this film one of the absolute best of recent years and perhaps even the decade.
Aspiring architect Casey (Haley Lu Richardson) lives in the small town of Columbus, Indiana, taking care of her former addict mother and working at the local library. When a famous architect that she looks up to falls into a coma, his son Jin (John Cho) flies from Korea into the same small town. As the two strike up an unlikely friendship, they bond over not just architecture but their individual anxieties and the minute peculiarities of struggling with what we as people are meant to do with our lives. Kogonada's incredible script and direction throughout this film definitely elevate this otherwise simple story into becoming instantly mesmerizing. He is a fantastic storyteller who definitely knows how to get into the minds of his audience. The dialogue, in particular, is so refreshing and honestly calming to sit back and see how much I forgot that these two actors were just doing their job and were not actually their characters. While his film absolutely radiates an indie tone, Kogonada is not afraid to use his cast to relish in the rare simplicity of making a lasting friend in a small town. The performances from these two leads also help in bringing out the raw, authenticity of this film. Cho and Richardson are fantastic together and while they are playing parts that are out of their usual realm, the chemistry between these quietly broken people is spectacular. I also appreciated how this film directly addresses the expected romantic tension between Casey and Jin. While they are far apart in age, I never felt any of that in them and Kogonada absolutely succeeds in telling their story distinctly and differently than would be seen in something more mainstream.
Wanting to leave somewhere that doesn't feel like home and wanting to stay somewhere that seems too distressing to abandon are such obviously different feelings for one person to have but this film presents this dynamic in the most beautiful way. Through the characters of Jin and Casey, these experiences prove to be universally true. Their relationship develops as they display these characteristics and the resulting conversations between them about what they want from their current situations are phenomenal. All Jin wants is to sort out his relationship with his father and all Casey wants is to maintain the balance in her life with knowing that going to school will better it. Leaving what they are comfortable with for what is best for them is this film's best theme, though, which I find extremely satisfying due to their reversal of narrative at the end. I also adore how Kogonada took a basic premise of two strangers forming a friendship and turned it into such an honest exposition of the yearning for something that people often think they don't deserve. Casey not wanting to leave for college due to the fear of leaving her mother alone is realistic but so earnest and heartbreaking. Everyone can relate to wanting to pursue their passions but not being sure how to go about it without disrupting their current life. This film happened to hit me hard at this point in my life, as I'm currently at a crossroads with what to do. For years, I have been relatively sure of my path but this might be the first time that I have ever had doubt in my passions. Kogonada does such a good job of embodying this anxiety about the future, especially through Richardson's Casey, and her character is one that I actually feel was written just for me. I don't necessarily see that as selfish, however, because of all the reviews I have read of this film, everyone seems to get hit by something different (and for varying reasons). If a filmmaker is able to get distinct messages across to their audience while simultaneously telling a beautiful story, then they have most certainly done their job right.
Elisha Christian's solitary cinematography with Kogonada's breathable editing makes this film the gorgeous experience that it deserved to be. This film is an undeniably complex narrative wrapped by its very pleasant storytelling and the almost minimalist use of movement and framing through the camera helps to tell that. The constant theme of architecture helped to establish the environment throughout this film, as these characters explored the city and saw themselves in these pieces of art. Nearly every shot was still and slightly off-center from its subjects and this dissymmetry fuels the plot. No one's life can be acutely perfect and this theme of mild misalignment fits these characters charmingly. I also loved Kogonada's editing and how his use of entire scenes in one still shot drowned me in its beauty. Despite Casey and Jin's friendship growing throughout this film and me sitting next to one of my closest friends while watching this, no movie has ever made me feel as alone as this has. Which I say not to receive pity but because the story is so isolated, making me really focus on the similarities to these characters. Everybody has life choices that they regret or wish they had done differently but this film shows its audience how it is not bad to want something else entirely. Just like Casey felt alone in not wanting to leave her mother, I felt alone in resonating with her conflicts, and sometimes not even the simple pleasures of making a friend can change that. The sound design in this film is so crisp and perfectly representative of this all too, as it is nearly quiet during its entirety. This not only created such a sensory experience but helped me fall in love with this little town and all of its personal struggles.
Columbus is such a muted reflection on self and personal motivation that has easily become one of my new favorites. This film might not exactly strike the same cords for others that it did for me, and that's perfectly fine. But there's something extraordinarily comforting about knowing there are people out there, fictional or nonfictional, that struggle with the same debilitating inner conflict that I often do. And to see this perfectly represented in such a simply gorgeous, brilliantly performed story is more than enough to completely win me over.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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