Kimi (2022)

Unlike some other A-list directors, Steven Soderbergh has fully embraced the streaming future of film. His last 5 films have skipped cinemas and come directly to us, with his film previous to this, No Sudden Move, being my favourite film in his oeuvre. In this case he has embraced COVID head on but unlike some of the films produced about the pandemic, it is background to the plot of the story, not consuming the story itself (a la Locked Down). Kimi's story is a modern spin on Rear Window whose story is enhanced by pandemic related threats in the background. While some other films that have tried to deal with the pandemic seemed too hyper aware, Kimi's setting felt natural and fleshed out the story in ways that it benefits from. 

Kravitz plays Angela, an agoraphobic and germphobic tech worker who, through her work, may have overheard a crime. She encounters resistance and gaslighting as she tries to deal with it. And in the process the film explores the way sexual assaults are treated in our culture, the lack of connecting in our connected world, and the fear and isolation arising out of the pandemic. But at its heart Kimi is a mystery, a mystery interesting enough to get you hooked even if it begins to spiral out of control a bit in the third act.

Soderbergh builds the suspense and then maintains it, isolating us with Kravitz in a way that is terribly uncomfortable.  I loved the way Soderbergh films her fear and panic. He finds a cinematic language for how terrifying the outside world can be. His visual language throughout is strong (no surprises there) and Kimi is a fairly beautiful film to watch. 

At the centre of this Kravitz who is given the task of being onscreen 90% of the time and carrying the story. She does so with flying colours. She is survivor, victim, saviour. She plays all layers of the character. I've never seen her showcased like this but she pulls it off so well. 

But as I said the film's plot begins to fall apart near the end. It falls into some fairly standard thriller cliches. The good will earned by Kravitz and Soderbergh up to this point maybe allow us to forgive some of its silliness. Their contributions rise this film out of what should be a standard forgettable thriller into something just a bit more satisfying even with its flaws. 

Kimi

Starring: Zoë Kravitz, Rita Wilson, India de Beaufort, Emily Kuroda, Byron Bowers, Jamie Camil, Jacob Vargas, Derek DelGaudio, Erika Christensen, Robin Givens

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: David Koepp