By: Andrew Wing
Kimi (stylized as KIMI) is a 2022 American thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s trilogy and film franchise, Logan Lucky) and written and produced by David Koepp (also wrote Spider-Man and You Should Have Left). The film stars Zoë Kravitz (X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road) and Rita Wilson (Sleepless in Seattle, Jingle All the Way). It was released on HBO Max on February 10, 2022.
The film follows Angela Childs (Kravitz), a tech worker with agoraphobia, who discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime, but she is met with resistance when she tries to report it. Seeking justice, she must do the thing she fears the most: she must leave her apartment.
THE GOOD
Believe it or not, Kimi is the first film to be released in 2022 that I have seen. I have been doing a lot of catching up lately on 2021 films I missed, but once I saw the trailer for this, I knew I couldn’t miss it. I mean, it features Zoë Kravitz in the lead role, and I think she is an extremely underrated actress, so I was excited to watch her put her talents on full display. She also puts on display some pretty fresh blue hair if I say so myself. Also, if there is one thing you know going into a Steven Soderbergh film nowadays, it’s that you are going to get an intriguing story that will keep you entertained at the very least, and that was just the case here.
No need to keep you waiting, this movie was well worth the watch. I really like Soderbergh, and I like even more how he just keeps pumping films out left and right. His most recent being No Sudden Move, which came out last year that I actually reviewed (see full review here). But seriously, he is just a prolific filmmaker. His films are so unique as they employ an avant-garde arthouse approach with his unconventional film formats that center on themes of shifting personal identities, vengeance, and many other things that he shows us in Kimi. His direction in this is just top-notch if you ask me, as he somehow combines classic anxiety-driven suspense through the medium that is the agoraphobic character, with relevant topics ranging from surveillance technology (similar to Amazon’s Alexa) to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was just really impressed with this film and it was another pleasant surprise from Soderbergh.
Speaking of things to be impressed by, now is about time to start discussing Zoë Kravitz’s performance in this. I mean it when I say I feel she is underrated. Yes, the majority of her roles so far in her career have been in supporting roles, but I have enjoyed everything I’ve seen of her, and I really think she is about to take off. It helps my case that she is playing Catwoman in Matt Reeves’ upcoming film The Batman, but I believe her performance in this will be the one we look back on years from now when is winning awards. For real though, is just *chef’s kiss* in this role. She is on screen for literally 90% of the film and she dominates every second. It was clear as day when watching that she was laser focused when giving this performance as a person with agoraphobia, because I was absolutely buying it. She had humor in some scenes, and she was solid in the dramatic scenes, but she really shines in the final third when she goes full John Wick mode. I hope that doesn’t spoil anything, but she was a badass. I obviously am looking forward to seeing her play Catwoman, but I am more excited to just see where she goes from here because she shows all of us with this performance that she’s legit.
Another thing I enjoyed about the film was just the overall look and feel of it. It was shot by Soderbergh under his alias “Peter Andrews”, and I don’t know about others, but it had a sort of Hitchcock vibe to it in my opinion. It reminded me a lot of one of all-time favorites Rear Window with the way that Kravitz’s character, because she can’t leave her apartment, is always looking out windows, going through her streams, and just doing the same thing over and over again just like James Stewart’s character does in that. I also liked Rita Wilson’s performance in this, and it was strange to see her play a “bad” character because she is always playing nice/friendly characters, usually opposite her husband Tom Hanks, in most films. Lastly, Derek DelGaudio has a small role in this as the CEO of the Amygdala Corporation, and while I’m sure most don’t know who he is, you should. He has apparently gone into acting now, but he is primarily known for being a performer and a magician, and you should do yourself a favor and go check out a film version of one of his performances, In & Of Itself, which is streaming on Hulu! You won’t regret it.
THE BAD
There is no denying that this film is an overall pretty dang good one. The only thing you could say is that the story might have been aided by a slightly longer runtime than it’s 89 minute one. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more from the bad guys in the film who are trying to keep Angela from reporting the crime, but it checks every box once you get to the end, and the end delivers marvelously. Also, there is a sort of suspension of disbelief going on in the movie with Angela’s agoraphobic character apparently being someone who can kill with no hesitation. That is really where I think a longer runtime might have helped by maybe showing us some of her character’s past/background to know more about why she is the way she is, but I had a blast with this film so I’ll just shut up now.
THE VERDICT
From the acclaimed and prolific filmmaker Steven Soderbergh comes Kimi, a housebound thriller with a 21st century spin that just offers a warm welcome to the digital age. This was just another banger from Soderbergh as he continues to reaffirm why he is one of the best in the game today. It also affirms that Zoë Kravitz is no joke as she gives an outstanding performance that I feel is the first of many for the uber talented young actress. Definitely worth the watch, so go check it out right now on HBO Max.
TED TAKES RATING - 8.6/10
Kimi is now available to watch on HBO Max. Check out the latest trailer below.