Review of Columbus (2017) by Bob K — 09 Sep 2017

This may end up my favorite movie of 2017, and yet I can't easily recommend it to others, since it was such a personal experience.

Haley Lu Richardson plays Casey, a recent high school graduate who hasn't been eager to leave the home town she loves, in part because of her mother's struggles, but at least as powerfully because she loves her town of Columbus, Indiana. It's a mecca of modernist architecture, and serves as an equally important lead character. By modernist, I don't mean the kind that makes you go "WTF were they thinking?!" but rather, huh, that's beautiful when I stop to consider it.

John Cho plays Jin, whose father is a local architecture professor, and has some kind of attack at the opening of the film, leaving him in a coma at the hospital. Jin has flown in from South Korea to be the dutiful son, a role he doesn't relish since he's estranged from his father. He has plenty of free time to wander the town. He meets Casey, and a friendship quickly grows.

One negative critique of this film notes that it's merely a series of still shots, with the actors moving within, framed by the buildings. This is not incorrect; it's also a good description of Woody Allen's "Manhattan." There's only one moving camera shot, when Casey and Jin first meet.

I have never identified with a female movie character before as strongly as I did with Casey. Maybe not any character at all. I was her at that age. I could give someone a tour of my own hometown the way she does, with all the historical context. She is reluctant to leave, but you can tell she needs to, and learn new things as well as she knows her town.

Do you love photography and architecture? You might enjoy this film. Actually, I can think of one person who will appreciate this film like I did, for those reasons - Tom Brunt.