• The announcement of an incredible cinematic talent- easily one of the five best cinematic debuts this century from Kogonada
  • Shot on location in Columbus, Indiana and a major subject is architecture itself so it’ll be interesting to see how Kogonada chooses to follow this up– two things though, I mean part of me just says “who cares if he never follows this up- just enjoy this for what it is” and another thing worth noting here is that the interiors in the film are just as beautiful as the exteriors using the local architecture here
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  • There is tremendous skill in how Kogonada frames every shot—nearly every one is a feat of art, photography and architecture—but they interact- both with each other visually (formally) and with the narrative and subject matter
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  • Though it’s his debut- cinephiles will recognize Kogonada from his video essays on Kubrick, Ozu, Bergman, Wes Anderson, Linklater and others. I see Ozu (both content and visuals), Antonioni, Zhangke Jia, Antonioni (both Zhangke Jia and Antonioni with architecture as character), Linklater the most. Again, I’m pretty blown away that Kogonada took all this and creating something distinctive and symphonically tied together with the narrative and visuals.
  • Kogonada takes his name from Ozu’s screenwriter
  • Straight lines and symmetry of frame—pillow shot cutaways and gorgeous montage image resets
  • Foreground and background duality
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  • Doorways as framing device
  • Family relationships like Ozu—walking and talking around a beautify city like Linklater
  • There’s a shot by the lake that could easily compare to Dreyer’s mise-en-scene masterpiece Gertrud
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  • The open door with mirror
  • Hallway Ozu shots reoccurring, another one of an alley
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  • Both actors- John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson are superb—but Richardson is a revelation- fantastic here
  • White hat on a teal chair framed in a doorway shot—stunner
  • Filled with jaw-dropping wall-art mise-en-scene work
  • Kogonada can shoot from inside a car using the shape of the seat and head rest as a framing device- incredibly special
  • MS/MP film