Kimi

Started pretty good, good actress, but story would have been a lot more interesting and exciting if the baddies had been professionals in stead of the bungling idiots at the level of 'Home alone'.

Things would have been scarier and more entertaining if the baddies knew what they were doing.

This was an entertaining hour and a half but its was missing something. There are some interesting characters, a nice enough plot line, a decent character reveal and an entertaining conclusion. Unfortunately, it felt a touch glossed over, simplified. A touch more complexity, a bit more depth would have made this something special. As it was, it's still worth a watch, but it won't wow you.

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.

Provocative, incredibly entertaining and stupidly efficient, Soderbergh does the best with a very simple story and concept. I love his experimental vein and, here again, the director shows that he doesn't have any problem in innovating, using different techniques.

One of the biggest pros of Kimi is that it's not afraid to feels small. It IS a small thriller. The main concept is familiar and it can be really predictable at times. It's also not afraid to feels like a TV movie sometimes, using some filming techniques that we are not used to see in cinema big productions. But Kimi is also a film with a big heart, with a very good interpretation from Zoë Kravitz and also with time for a cool, exciting and funny third act.

It doesn't develop a lot of things, but man...I even loved all the chaotic shaky camera illustrating what Angela was feeling but also what every one of us felt during COVID times. A big yes from me.

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.