Columbus

I decided I would rewatch a personal 5 star movie tonight. I was gonna go with a large scale one like Blade Runner 2049 or something since I'm really excited for Dune p2. Instead, I opted for the quietly beauttiful Columbus. I'm alright with words, but if only you could take a slideshow of shots from this movie and put it as a review. If there was any setting in any movie I could visit, I think I might choose Columbus, Indiana. When a central theme of the story is about architecture, the visuals better live up to expectation. For such an ambitious idea that requires an innate focus on looks both for the filmmakers and the audience, it remains quite grounded in its presentation. Absolutely gorgeously crafted. Besides the scenic nature of the film, between the quiet moments, are some thoughtful snippets of conversation. They're presented much like visual art (specifically in the lens of architecture). Do you want to take it seriously, literally, with a grain of salt? It's ultimately up to your interpretation. The narratives of the two lead characters at a crossroads in life parallel and contrast so well, and like many great stories, it plays out in such a way that they learn so much from each other and about themselves, along with the audience. While it's only been a few months, personally, I'm at a different place in my life than when I first watched this. It's still highly relevant, and I appreciated much of the same aspects, but in a slightly different way. It's not an endlessly rewatchable film, nor do I want it to be. I hope to keep coming back to it every once in a while and reflect on where I am, just like the characters in the film do. I was also thinking of starting a journal recently, but I realize now that I kind of treat my Letterboxd movie reviews like my personal journal. I know it's not completely private, and it's actually quite public, but not that many people read it. Thank you for all that do and follow along in my journey. It's quite refreshing to look back and check up on myself. I can see what dates I watched something, who I watched it with, and I can try to remember and visualize what state of mind I was in when I was watching that particular movie — beyond the movie/movie making aspects/conversations surrounding that movie. I think that's the power of this mode of storytelling — they aspire to bring out something more than sum of its parts and if done well, ultimately form a very personal connection for one singular viewer out there.