Margot Robbie’s follow-up to Barbie is now available to watch at home. I’ve also been a Kogonada fan since I saw Columbus at Sundance. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey combines the emotions of Columbus with the sci-fi fantasy of After Yang, which was also just as emotional.
Robbie and Colin Farrell play two strangers who rented cars from the same agency to go to a wedding. But the GPS is guiding them to relive moments of their lives. The characters embody fairly standard relationship stereotypes. She pushes people away and he’s been too hurt to love again, but the journey through lives full of heartbreak and tragedy is relatable.
Without giving away what exactly they experience, everyone has been through rejection or death or regret. They get a chance to say things they wish they’d said in hindsight, and sometimes it is satisfying but other times it makes no difference, which is also poignant. This is the kind of movie I used to love in the’ 90s like Mr. Destiny, Defending Your Life or Heart and Souls. It’s not as good as those but I’ll take it!
Kogonada captures the natural settings on the journey. The sun emerges from the rain. They walk through a forest and find a freestanding door. They sit on a hilltop looking down at the whole Earth.
The 4K digital showcases those compositions. Robbie and Farrell form silhouettes looking at a painting in the museum. They are illuminated on a dark stage in a sort of limbo. They walk through lots of dark hallways before emerging into scenes from their lives.
The sound is subtle, with individual raindrops dripping in rear speakers during a storm.
Three brief bonus features are also included in which the cast and filmmakers discuss the themes of the film and some practical considerations for putting it on screen. Kogonada’s emphasis on practical sets is certainly appreciated. A featurette on the high school musical rehearsal shows all of Farrell’s sweat while practicing the moves.
A Blu-ray will be available December 23 right before Christmas.