‘Columbus’ Trailer: John Cho And Haley Lu Richardson Bond Over Architecture In A Gorgeous, Quiet Drama
John Chohas long deserved a romantic leading man role after paying his dues for years in the broad comedy ofHarold and Kumarand as second fiddle in action franchises likeStar Trek. He even gave an underrated performance inSelfie, a surprisingly charming TV show with a terrible title. But now it seems like he’s finally been given the spotlight he deserves in the Sundance darling,Columbus.
And you can see him get that spotlight in the trailer forColumbus, which stars Cho as the son of an ailing professor andHaley Lu Richardsonas the young drifting architecture enthusiast with whom he strikes up a friendship.
“There’s this belief that if you’re not there when a family member dies, your spirit will roam aimlessly and become a ghost,” Cho says in the opening secondsof the trailer, as the camera lingers on empty spaces and stunning architecture that are scattered across the small town of Columbus, Indiana.
The rest of the trailer is just as achingly gorgeous, as Cho’s character Jin wanders aimlessly about the town, stuck there as he waits for his comatose father to either recover or die. Along the way, he meets Casey (Richardson), a charming girl with an eye for architecture. They discuss love, life, and art, as well as their deepest conflicts — Jin with his tense relationship with his father, and Casey with her addict mother.
The film is directed by first-time feature directorKogonada, a former Criterion video essayist, and shot with gorgeous detail by cinematographerElisha Christian.
The movie made a splash at Sundance when it premiered in January, andearned a rave reviewfrom former /Film editor Angie Han, who called it “a portrait of a rare and beautiful connection” that can be likened to profound films like “Once,Paterson, and theBeforetrilogy.”
Seeing the comparison toOnceand theBeforetrilogy — some of my favorite movies — make me even more excited to see this film than I was when I realized it would be 2 hours of John Cho brooding. In addition to looking beautiful, the rapport between Cho and Richardson seems genuine and sweet, which is something that can be rare to find in even the best indie romantic films. It’ll help me forgive Richardson for alwaysmaking me confuse herwith Zoey Deutch.
Here’s the official synopsis forColumbus:
While his father is in a coma, Jin finds himself stuck in an unusual Midwestern city renowned for its modernist buildings. Though not fond of architecture, Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey, a bright girl who works at the city library (avoiding college and her future), and she shows him the local marvels. With a curious intimacy reserved for strangers, Jin and Casey explore both the town and their conflicted emotions: Jin’s estranged relationship with his father and Casey’s reluctance to leave her mother, a recovering drug addict.
And here’s the gorgeous poster art for the film.
Columbus, which also featuresParker Posey, Rory Culkin,andMichelle Forbesin supporting roles will be released in theaters onAugust 4.
