Columbus Dir: Kogonada

0

 

Love, loss, hope and architecture are explored in this measured and moving debut film from a remarkable new talent.

A Korean born man arrives in Columbus, Indiana to attend to his architect father who is in a coma. He meets a young woman who looks after her addict mother instead of pursuing her own dreams, and the two explore modernist architecture together and uncover each other’s hopes for the future.

South Korean writer director Kogonada is best known for his cinematic supercuts – expertly edited essays on the works of Andrei Tarkovsky, Stanley Kubrick and Wes Anderson amongst others – and you can easily see his influences in his debut film, which he funnily enough edited as well.

This two-hander features an appealing pair taking a leap out of their comfort zones. John Cho is better known for stoner comedy series Harold and Kumar and playing Sulu in the rebooted Star Trek, and Haley Lu Richardson for her teen work and M Night Shalayman’s thriller Split.

But there is a natural relaxed chemistry here – even with an unbelievable 23-year age gap – with both handling the reserved script with maturity. Richardson has already received praise for carrying a heavy story on her young shoulders. Kogonada does well letting their emotions slowly rise without pandering to Hollywood expectations.

While there’s great help from the likes of indie stalwart Parker Posey and Rory Culkin, the true supporting star is Columbus’s plethora of modernist architecture. I’m a big fan of architectural documentaries like Sketches of Frank Ghery and Frank Lloyd Wright, and while a fairly interesting drama is going on you’ll get a free architectural appreciation class as an added bonus.

Using long still takes Kogonada lets us soak up gorgeous and groundbreaking bridges, banks, hospitals and libraries, while exploring how these real structures personal emotional landmarks too.

And it’s not forced either. There’s a beautiful scene where instead of giving him the tour-guide sell, Cho asks Richardson to tell him why a glass-walled bank moves her and Kogonada shoots from indoors letting her gestures do the talking.

It is what makes Kogonada such a remarkable talent to keep an eye on. Not only does he film the buildings in artfully composed wide shots, he also plays with space in the frame, like an awkward scene with Cho and Posey that completely plays out in mirror.

When asked whether he should be back at the hospital, Cho replies, “This isn’t the movies, nothing is going to happen.” This little nod says a lot about Kogonada’s assured debut, it’s definitely not action packed but this low-key movie has a lot to say about life’s small details, and those big buildings right in front of you.

Clayton Barnett (https://www.youtube.com/user/claymonster22/videos)

NZIFF link: https://www.nziff.co.nz/2017/auckland/columbus/

 

The 13th Floor
Latest posts by The 13th Floor (see all)