In outline, "Columbus" might seem like the kind of film we've seen before. Middle-aged man meets much younger woman while both are drifting through separate life crises. The relationship they strike up -- first platonic, then romantic -- helps both of them see their way forward. Like "Lost in Translation" set in Indiana.
But "Columbus" manages to carve out its own little niche and feel like a fresh spin on a common set up. This is due largely to the terrific performances of John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson and to the film's setting, which makes Columbus, Indiana seem like an oasis of creativity and thought in a desert of Midwestern malaise. The film explores primarily the theme of filial duty and the point at which a sense of responsibility for and to our parents can become something malignant that stops our own personal growth. It's a very quiet, ruminative movie, one that's in no hurry to make its point or rush its conclusions.
Indeed, if I had to criticize anything about the film, it's how visually stagnant it is. It's like there's a breed of indie filmmakers who think to actually move their camera is to dilute their films' authenticity, ignoring the fact that the word "move" is literally built into the word "movie." Would it have killed the director of "Columbus" to give me a zoom, a pan, something?
But still.....an excellent movie and one that both requires and rewards patience.
Grade: A
But "Columbus" manages to carve out its own little niche and feel like a fresh spin on a common set up. This is due largely to the terrific performances of John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson and to the film's setting, which makes Columbus, Indiana seem like an oasis of creativity and thought in a desert of Midwestern malaise. The film explores primarily the theme of filial duty and the point at which a sense of responsibility for and to our parents can become something malignant that stops our own personal growth. It's a very quiet, ruminative movie, one that's in no hurry to make its point or rush its conclusions.
Indeed, if I had to criticize anything about the film, it's how visually stagnant it is. It's like there's a breed of indie filmmakers who think to actually move their camera is to dilute their films' authenticity, ignoring the fact that the word "move" is literally built into the word "movie." Would it have killed the director of "Columbus" to give me a zoom, a pan, something?
But still.....an excellent movie and one that both requires and rewards patience.
Grade: A