After nearly four years, indie-filmmaker Kogonada returns to the silver screen with his newest feature. Well known for his contributions to the Criterion Collection’s supplementary material on their home-video releases, he has turned to narrative filmmaking over the past decade.
His freshman and sophomore films, “Columbus” (2017) and “After Yang” (2021), showcased his meditative and atmospheric style that prioritizes stunning visuals, ambient scores and a subtle appreciation for the little things in life. As the title suggests, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” is no such film.
The film starts out with a bang as David (Colin Farrell) frantically searches for a rental when his car is ticketed on the day he’s supposed to attend a friend’s wedding. He finds a less-than-ordinary rental service helmed by two strange, unnamed staff members (Phoebe Waller-Bridge & Kevin Kline). After jumping some hoops and settling for the best option, David is finally given a 1994 Saturn SL, equipped with a sentient GPS (voiced by Jodie Turner-Smith).
Our leads, David and Sarah (Margot Robbie), meet on the dance floor of the wedding and could not be more different from one another, walking the line of cliche, to a point that almost feels over the top. David is a hopeless romantic who has been searching for his soulmate his entire life, while Sarah can’t seem to stay long enough with anyone to make a deep connection.
In the moments of near rom-com pastiche, the film manages to ground itself in clever and active dialogue, which makes our characters feel real again. Through both intentional and spontaneous situations, the two begin to form a unique bond that only grows in scope as they continue their journey together.
The GPS leads David and Sarah to their first destination: an empty crimson door in the middle of the woods. At first, the confusion from both of them slowly turns to intrigue as they decide to step across the threshold. They are instantly transported to the base of a lighthouse, the same one that David had visited a year prior. They climb to the top and look out as the sun’s setting rays shine on the crashing waves. David tells Sarah that when he visited the lighthouse before, he didn’t take the time to appreciate the beauty in front of him, but in this moment, he does.
As the film progresses, the past weaves in and out: through every frame is a door to a point in David and Sarah’s past. Revisiting high school musicals and loved ones’ deathbeds, the pair get to experience the moments that defined them.
Plot aside, this film’s use of abstract and surreal visuals puts the audience in a truly magical place. The fantastical elements do not detract from the experience, but rather push viewers deeper into the film and the emotions the characters are feeling.
These aforementioned emotions are heightened by stunning visuals that shine through both the cinematography and color grading. Par for the course in a Kogonada film, the shot choices are intentional and gorgeous, in both the grandiose wide shots and the intimate close-ups. We are shown the beauty of rolling Californian hills with the deep greens and yellows being highlighted especially well, not to mention the saturated blue and red costumes that David and Sarah wear throughout the film.
This movie is definitely not for everyone, but it has the potential to make an impact on anyone. It’s crazy, kooky, and bold, but it is a film that is grounded in the reality of human emotions. And in a world full of hatred, a little bit of love goes a long way. While corny at times, the film is full of love and, more importantly, life. The shortcomings and cliches take a back seat as the viewer becomes the passenger princess on this big, bold, beautiful journey, making this film nothing less than a treat.
This article was edited by Alfie Pritchard and Jessica Ackerman. Copy editing was done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Emma Brown.
