Kimi

There was a lot more filler than there was substance, and although slow paced, thankfully, the 89 min runtime flew by. Sadly though, this predictable thriller was pretty much thrill-less. Zoe Kravitz's performance was spot on, but that's pretty much it. Even the gangster types were pretty lame and boring. Nevertheless, a decent one time watch. It's a generous 6/10 from me. Kimi, post this review.

Kimi is a computer assistant similar to Alexa. Angela Childs (Zoë Kravitz) works for the company to monitor individual Kimi recordings. With her agoraphobia, she is unable to go out like going to the dentist for needed dental work. She thinks that she has discovered a crime in one of the recordings.

Director Steven Soderbergh delivers a well-made film. For the first half, I thought this was Soderbergh doing COVID filming with Kravitz doing mostly solo scenes. I wouldn't mind that. I appreciate somebody making it work and it fits the character. That's why I don't like the office section. It doesn't fit the character. She should try to go out and fail. It heightens her vulnerability if she can't leave. This could have been Soderbergh's Rear Window. As it stands, the start is a bit slow but it's a fine thriller.

A less than 90 minute taut, exciting thriller from Steven Soderbergh. A perfect example of a film being effective with less is more.

No idea why this film isn't getting more credit. It's rare to find films with a small cast and single location done so well. More exciting than most films that cost millions of dollars more.

Kimi is fruitful yet incomplete. First, the story introduces interesting ideas, but doesn't follow through. Zoe Kravitz's agoraphobic protagonist leads a confined life before stumbling upon a crime recorded on a home device. From there, Kravitz attempts to expose the crime, but she's met with a bureaucratic conspiracy. This premise establishes themes of captivity, surveillance, and systemic injustice. However, these subjects don't concretely pay off. Similarly, the acting is inconsistent. Kravitz optimizes the role, yet her material is one note. She adds layers but the script lacks a clear arc, stagnating her performance. Meanwhile, her supporting cast (besides Wilson) is weak.

Beyond Kravitz, Kimi's virtue is its filmmaking. The cast, production, and effects are sparse, but craftsmanship is potent. For example, the cinematography uses varied shots and compositions to keep entertainment high and emotions palpable. In Kravitz's apartment, overheads and extreme close-ups convey importance and maintain engagement. Outside, Dutch angles, unsteady movement, and confined spacing express intense anxiety. Plus, the editing efficiently matches Kravitz's mental state, the sound symbolically reflects her perspective, and the music is oddly fitting. Soderbergh gets plenty out of this limited project. Ultimately, Kimi has merit but isn't a must-see.

Writing: 6/10 Direction: 8/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Acting: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Sound: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 Production Design: 6/10 Casting: 6/10 Effects: 6/10

Overall Score: 7.2/10.

I am a bit surprised that the overall rating (as of March 2022) is below 7 for this film.

I have no idea why that is because this is a good solid film.

Very much in line with Steven Soderbergh other films.

Keeping it simple. Good storytelling with thriller elements. You just know what you're getting with Soderbergh. Rounded characters, no Flash/bang CGI/visual effects to unnecessarily distract and a set of good actors in a well told story. It's like old film making techniques to tell modern stories.

It sort of reminded me of a modern version of Rear Window but with post covid lockdown as a backdrop and the use of modern information technology. It is substantially different to Rear window though.

This, I think, is the first Zoe Kravitz film I've seen. She's very good. Very believable.

What Soderbergh does, and I personally like this, is take modern topics of conversation and produces a story that weaves all that into a thriller of sorts.

He did this with "No sudden move" (corporate greed), "the Laundromat" (Panama papers), "Unsane" and "side effects" (the health sector), "High flying bird" (sport greed) and now with Kimi (data harvesting and big tech).

Sometimes he hammers home the point, but in this film, it's all laid out without being belligerent.

It's an intelligent technology based thriller (not techno thriller - which I associate with cyberpunk etc).

A great film to watch one evening. Good pacing and not too long.

There is a sexual scene in it, so if you are planning to watch it then You'll be alright if you have older teenage kids or non-prudish parents. If you can get past that, then you're onto a winner for a night's entertainment.

Thought provoking and much better than a lot of films out there right now.

Do watch if you get the chance.