There's this wonderful scene in Columbus where the protagonists break into a high school at night. They begin to creep down the hallway, silent except for the sounds of their feet against the floor. And then we cut to...the next morning. It's an editing and story choice that a lot of directors wouldn't make. Why set the scene up; have the characters enter a new space, and then not show us what happens in this new space? Partly it has to do with a first time director flexing his creative muscle, and being confident in his vision for this film. It also feels natural for a film about quiet contemplation, a film that often reveals by withholding.
The film centers around Jin (John Cho), who is stranded in Columbus, Indiana, after his father, a scholar of architecture, has fallen into a coma. Casey (Halley Lu Richardson) is a young woman working at the local library, who has forgone college for reasons revealed later in the film. Jin's strained relationship with his father means that he knows a lot about architecture, but is at best ambivalent about the unique structures that populate Columbus. Casey, on the other hand, is fascinated by her hometown's architecture and its place in history. The two meet by chance while Casey is on a smoke break in the library parking lot. What develops from there is a relationship built on the two characters' mutual dissatisfaction, although their experiences in the world are different.
From a technical standpoint, the film is more than proficient. Director Kogonada utilizes the town's architecture in each frame, letting the various buildings and structures inform his shots. The screenplay also has a lot to say about architecture, and the way it balances these more informative aspects of the script with the emotionally resonant moments is masterful, I think. It's a character study: of Columbus, as well as of Jin and Casey.
John Cho is very good as a man whose initial coldness masks feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. Richardson is phenomenal as a young woman trying to balance what she is passionate about against her commitment to another person. Both are born from feelings of intensity, of love. I marveled at her expressiveness, she says so much while not speaking.
I really think the film is incredible in its quiet, contemplative way, just as other films can be incredible in louder, flashier, or more ambitious ways. I was moved not only by what I did see on screen, but also by what was withheld from me as a viewer by the script and the editing. It's a film about two fragile people that never becomes maudlin or melodramatic, it just maintains its balance from beginning to end, and I think that's amazing.
4 stars (out of 4)
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