I watched Columbus last night. Pretty interesting film, it was a debut for the writer/director but you wouldn’t know it based on how good it looks. The choice of locations is superb, and it is shot in such a creative and beautiful way that literally every single scene is a joy to watch. The ambitious cinematography is paired with a very minimalist story, a choice reminiscent of Yasujiro Ozu’s work.
Just generally, I’d say Columbus takes a very Japanese approach to this type of subject matter with long ASL (average shot length), static camera-work and significant use of short, static transition shots of everyday settings and phenomena that stitch together the longer scenes and create some contemplative breathing space between them. It’s very subtle, meticulous film-making that is deeply satisfying and also oddly exciting to watch as someone who loves this type of stuff.
I think it does struggle a little bit on the story side, though. John Cho’s character feels secondary and his acting comes across a little wooden in some scenes. The relationship between his character and that of Haley Lu Richardson, who is very good, also feels a little lacking, though that is often the case with this type of film. Not every relationship is long, rich and full of deep meaning. People come into and go from each other’s lives and there can often be a sort of transactional feel to relationships outside of our core circle of family and friends, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this context.
I watched Columbus last night. Pretty interesting film, it was a debut for the writer/director but you wouldn’t know it based on how good it looks. The choice of locations is superb, and it is shot in such a creative and beautiful way that literally every single scene is a joy to watch. The ambitious cinematography is paired with a very minimalist story, a choice reminiscent of Yasujiro Ozu’s work.
Just generally, I’d say Columbus takes a very Japanese approach to this type of subject matter with long ASL (average shot length), static camera-work and significant use of short, static transition shots of everyday settings and phenomena that stitch together the longer scenes and create some contemplative breathing space between them. It’s very subtle, meticulous film-making that is deeply satisfying and also oddly exciting to watch as someone who loves this type of stuff.
I think it does struggle a little bit on the story side, though. John Cho’s character feels secondary and his acting comes across a little wooden in some scenes. The relationship between his character and that of Haley Lu Richardson, who is very good, also feels a little lacking, though that is often the case with this type of film. Not every relationship is long, rich and full of deep meaning. People come into and go from each other’s lives and there can often be a sort of transactional feel to relationships outside of our core circle of family and friends, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this context.