Kogonada. Ever heard of him? The South Korean-born American filmmaker began to get attention for his video essays that analyzed themes and motifs from various films and television series before launching as a writer/director with the film we are covering this week, Columbus (2017).
The movie follows two people who are at a place in their lives where they need to make important decisions related to their family and their future. Jin (John Cho), the son of a renowned architect, comes to Columbus to see his father when he falls ill but is unsure how long he wants to stay and look after him. When he arrives in Columbus (Indiana) he meets and befriends Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman who is passionate about architecture but hesitant to leave Columbus to pursue her next steps because she feels compelled to stay and be there for her mother who is dealing with addiction issues. It's a beautiful film about space and structures, passion, familial responsibility, and how the relationships we have push us to be the best version of ourselves we can be.
Joining us this week are Kogonada enthusiasts and long time podcasters Jen & Sarah from the Movies & Us and TV & Us podcasts! And if you're listening on the week this drops, take a look at their feed and check out their episode this coming Wednesday with Philip where they cover Bong Joon Ho's Memories of Murder!
Substantive Cinema Episode List
Shoutouts:
Supacell (Netflix)
Slow Horses (Apple TV)
The Vince Staples Show (Netflix)
Follow Jen & Sarah:
Follow Us
Philip's Letterboxd
Share Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:
Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.com
DM on Instagram
Support Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod