Columbus (2017 film)

Film by Kogonada

Columbus

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Kogonada
Written by| Kogonada
Produced by|

* Andrew Miano
* Aaron Boyd
* Danielle Renfrew Behrens
* Chris Weitz
* Giulia Caruso
* Ki Jin Kim

Starring|

* John Cho
* Haley Lu Richardson
* Michelle Forbes
* Rory Culkin
* Parker Posey

Cinematography| Elisha Christian
Edited by| Kogonada
Music by| Hammock

Production
companies

* Superlative Films
* Depth of Field
* Nonetheless Productions

Distributed by| Sundance Institute

Release dates

* January 22, 2017 (2017-01-22) (Sundance)
* August 4, 2017 (2017-08-04) (United States)

Running time

| 104 minutes[1]
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $700,000[2]
Box office| $1.1 million[3]

Columbus is a 2017 American drama film written and directed by Kogonada in his feature directorial debut. The film stars John Cho as the son of a renowned architecture scholar who gets stranded in Columbus, Indiana, and strikes up a friendship with a young architecture enthusiast (Haley Lu Richardson) who works at the local library. Michelle Forbes, Rory Culkin, and Parker Posey appear in supporting roles.

Columbus premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was released in the United States on August 4, 2017, by the Sundance Institute, receiving acclaim from critics.[4][5]

## Plot

[edit]

In Columbus, Indiana, Jin Lee arrives from South Korea to watch over his estranged father who, while visiting the town to give a lecture about architecture, has fallen into a coma and is now in a local hospital. One day, Jin meets Casey, a young woman who works in a library near the hospital. Casey lives with and takes care of her mother, a recovering drug addict.

Casey and Jin quickly build a rapport as she guides him around Columbus for several days. The two discuss the local architecture while simultaneously opening up about themselves to each other. Jin reveals his feelings of resentment toward his father, whom Jin believes to have cared more about work than for him. Casey also opens up about her dream of getting a job in architecture. However, she confesses that she cannot leave her mother in order to pursue it. Jin advises that it is her life and that Casey is holding herself back.

One night, Casey and Jin are wandering around Columbus when Casey discovers that her mother had been lying to her and has possibly relapsed. Following this incident, Casey comes to the conclusion that it is in her best interest to move on and decides to leave Columbus in order to pursue her dream. Jin and Casey share a tender hug goodbye and Casey leaves, while Jin stays behind to watch over his ailing father.

## Cast

[edit]

* John Cho as Jin Lee, a Korean-American who works in South Korea translating literature to English
* Haley Lu Richardson as Casey, a recent high school graduate and library worker caring for her mother while dreaming of being an architect
* Parker Posey as Eleanor, Jae Yong Lee's longtime assistant for whom Jin has harbored feelings in the past
* Michelle Forbes as Maria, Casey's working-class mother, a recovering drug addict
* Rory Culkin as Gabriel, Casey's coworker and friend, a doctoral student
* Erin Allegretti as Emma, an acquaintance of Casey
* Shani Salyers Stiles as Vanessa, Maria's co-worker
* Joseph Anthony Foronda as Jae Yong Lee, Jin's father, an acclaimed architecture professor who falls into a coma

## Production

[edit]

Writer, director, and editor Kogonada

The film was shot on location in Columbus, Indiana, over 18 days.[6] The film began shooting on July 31, 2016, and concluded on August 20, 2016.[7]

Kogonada was inspired by director Yasujirō Ozu, particularly his 1951 film Early Summer, incorporating elements of his style and shot selection into Columbus. He notes the similar use of negative space in Columbus, explaining that "architecture is the structuring of emptiness", which he compares to that of human emotion.[8]

### Architecture

[edit]

Among the famous Modernist buildings that feature in the film are the First Christian Church by Eliel Saarinen, the Irwin Union Bank, Miller House, and North Christian Church by Eliel's son Eero Saarinen, and the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library by I. M. Pei.[9]

Kogonada visited Columbus on holiday. Inspired by the city's architecture, he stated that he "deeply wanted it to be a part of the first film I made".[10] He describes the buildings there as having "an extraordinary premise for drama" and that the architecture of which forms the common ground between Jin and Casey when they are first introduced.[11]

## Soundtrack

[edit]

Columbus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Film score by

Hammock

Released| 3 November 2017 (2017-11-03)
Genre| Film score
Length| 45:24
Label| Hammock Music

Kogonada sought out Hammock to create the soundtrack for Columbus after reading an interview with the band, claiming "they were talking about the relationship between absence and presence in their music – which was a mind-blowing moment – and I thought, 'They have to be the music for this film.'"[12]

All music is composed by Hammock.

Columbus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) track listingNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Pei"| 3:53
2.| "Meier"| 2:20
3.| "Venturi"| 2:22
4.| "Eliel"| 4:19
5.| "Eero"| 2:23
6.| "SOM"| 3:00
7.| "Berke"| 1:37
8.| "Polshek"| 1:47
9.| "Warnecke"| 2:39
10.| "Birkerts"| 1:14
11.| "Weese"| 4:48
12.| "Goldsmith"| 2:22
13.| "Roche"| 1:38
14.| "Valkenburgh"| 4:13
15.| "Jimenez"| 2:30
16.| "Saitowitz"| 4:19
Total length:| 45:24

## Release

[edit]

Columbus premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2017.[1][13] The film was released in select theaters in the United States on August 4, 2017, by the Sundance Institute.[14][15] It was later released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 5, 2018.[16]

It was screened at the 28th Busan International Film Festival as part of "Korean American Special Exhibition: Korean Diaspora" on October 5, 2023.[17]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

Columbus had a domestic opening weekend gross of $28,800 from two theaters, one located in New York City and the other in Los Angeles, averaging $14,400 per theater.[18] In its second weekend of release, Columbus grossed $44,460 from seven theaters, averaging $6,351 per theater.[19] In its third weekend of release, Columbus grossed $44,450 from twelve theaters, averaging $3,705 per theater.[20]

In Columbus, Indiana, the setting of the film, Columbus sold a record breaking 8,953 tickets over the course of a six-week local run playing at the "YES Cinema". The previous record holder was The King's Speech with 3,700 tickets sold over a nine-week run.[21]

Internationally, the film grossed $75,970 following release; $13,824 gross total in Portugal; $6,671 gross total in the United Kingdom; $55,475 gross total in South Korea.[22]

### Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 134 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Wonderfully acted and artfully composed, Columbus balances the clean lines of architecture against the messiness of love, with tenderly moving results."[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100, based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "How do you make a ravishing romance about architecture? You'll find the answer with Kogonada, the video essayist and critic whose debut feature, Columbus, is a spellbinder." Wrapping up his review, Travers concluded that "Columbus is a whisper-soft debut from Kogonada that nonetheless results in something unique and unforgettable. It's pure cinema."[23] In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, Boyd van Hoeij called the film a "quietly masterful feature debut" for Kogonada and wrote, "One of the film's chief pleasures is how it keeps the conversation between the various characters flowing while gently avoiding falling into any of the possible romantic-entanglement traps that viewers used to more conventional romantic works might be expecting. The fact it is accessible for people without any prior knowledge of either Modernism or architecture in general is another plus, though the film's clearly too thoughtful and quietly masterful to ever qualify as a real crowd-pleaser."[1]

Many critics praised the leading pair of Cho and Richardson. Geoff Berkshire of Variety wrote: "Together they form an unexpected, but perfectly constructed, pair."[13] A.A. Dowd said: "The two have a laid-back chemistry, an easy melancholy communion, that stops Columbus from ever feeling too academic. Come for the breathtaking architectural scenery, stay for the likable pair staring up at it."[24] Kate Erbland from IndieWire stated that Cho and Richardson were "perfect" for their roles and went onto to write "The pair have prodigious chemistry, but the real pleasure of Columbus is watching that bond deepen, and the comfort that Casey and Jin ultimately find in each other."[25]

Cho's performance was praised, and the recurring question from critics was why had Cho not yet become a leading man in Hollywood. Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Cho gives Jin a real warmth and empathy".[26] A.A. Dowd from The A.V. Club said: "Cho, in a too-rare leading role, delivers the kind of sensitive performance that's always banged at the lid of his franchise work."[24] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Cho's performance contained "whip-smart charisma [that] has long warranted more leading roles like this one."[27] Katie Walsh from The Providence Journal declared that Cho's performance was "fantastic" and described it as "subtle, specific and quietly stirring."[28] Richardson's performance was also acclaimed. Brian Formo of Collider wrote, "Richardson puts the story on her shoulders and elevates the film into a beguiling, thin air. She lends the beautiful but empty buildings a beating heart."[29] Oliver Jones of The New York Observer commended Richardson's "naturalism".[30] Berkshire said of Richardson's performance "relative newcomer proving her ability of holding the screen with maximum soulfulness in a minimalist drama."[13] Tara Brady of The Irish Times wrote of Richardson's performance "the blazing Haley Lu Richardson, wrings everything from her best-written role since The Edge of Seventeen."[31]

Ben Nicholson of Sight and Sound considered the auteurist tendencies of the director, Kogonada, which are demonstrated in the film: "It is perhaps unsurprising to those familiar with Kogonada's acclaimed video-essay work, which often observes the subtle details and recurring motifs of auteurist vision, that his feature debut would be equally meticulous."[32] Sheila O'Malley noted: "What Kogonada has done with Columbus (along with cinematographer Elisha Christian) is to blend the background into the foreground and vice versa, so that you see things through the eyes of the two architecture-obsessed main characters. Watching the film is almost like feeling the muscles in your eyes shift, as you look up from reading a book to stare out at the ocean. From the very first shot, it's clear that the buildings will be essential. They are a part of the lives unfolding in their shadows. Sometimes it almost seems like they are listening. There is a story in Columbus. What is remarkable is how intense it is, given the stillness and quiet of Kogonada's style, and the focus with which he films the buildings."[9]

### Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipients  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2017 | Best Actress | Haley Lu Richardson | Nominated  | [33]
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award | Kogonada | Nominated
Best Screenplay | Nominated
Golden Tomato Awards | January 3, 2018  | Best Drama Movie 2017  | Columbus | 5th Place  | [34]
Independent Spirit Awards | March 3, 2018 | Best First Feature | Columbus | Nominated  | [35]
Best First Screenplay | Kogonada  | Nominated
Best Cinematography | Elisha Christian  | Nominated
Piaget Producers Award  | Giulia Caruso and Ki Jin Kim  | Nominated

### Top Ten lists

[edit]

Columbus was listed as one of the best films of the year by several critics. This is a sampling.[36][37]

* 1st – B.J. Bethel, RogerEbert.com
* 2nd – Sam Mauro, Silver Screen Beat
* 3rd – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects
* 4th – Seongyong Cho, RogerEbert.com
* 4th – Walker King, RogerEbert.com
* 4th – Matt Patches, Thrillist
* 5th – Nick Schager, Esquire
* 5th – Chris Cabin, Collider
* 6th – David Ehrlich, IndieWire
* 6th – Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News
* 6th – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times[38]
* 6th – Alan Zilberman, RogerEbert.com
* 6th – Micah Mertes, Omaha World-Herald
* 7th – Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly
* 8th – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
* 8th – William Bibbiani, CraveOnline
* 9th – Ben Kenigsberg, RogerEbert.com
* 9th – Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
* 9th – Kevin Richie, Now
* 10th – K. Austin Collins, The Ringer
* 10th – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c van Hoeij, Boyd (January 27, 2017). "'Columbus' Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
2. ^ Lapin, Andrew (March 18, 2018). "Didn't Get That Theatrical Deal? The Sundance Creative Fellowship Wants You to Consider Self-Distribution". IndieWire. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
3. ^ "Columbus (2017)". The Numbers. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
4. ^ a b "Columbus". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
5. ^ a b "Columbus". Metacritic. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
6. ^ Brooks, Brian (August 4, 2017). "Sundance Hits 'Step' & Taylor Sheridan's 'Wind River' Blow Into Theaters – Specialty B.O. Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
7. ^ Blair, Brian (August 5, 2016). "'Columbus' independent film puts city's landmarks in Hollywood spotlight". The Republic. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016.
8. ^ This Movie Might Be "The Answer" To #StarringJohnCho (video). Vice News. Retrieved October 10, 2020 - via YouTube. "John Cho finally plays the leading man again in "Columbus"". Vice.
9. ^ a b O'Malley, Sheila (August 4, 2017). "Columbus review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
10. ^ Buder, Emily (August 8, 2017). "'Columbus': Video Essayist Kogonada on His Stunning Feature Debut and Why Critics Should Make Movies". No Film School. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
11. ^ Brady, Richard (June 9, 2017). "The Precocious Genius of "Columbus"". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
12. ^ "Columbus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Hammock Music. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
13. ^ a b c Berkshire, Geoff (January 29, 2017). "Film Review: 'Columbus'". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
14. ^ Sharf, Zack (June 23, 2017). "'Columbus' Trailer: Discover Why This John Cho Drama Is One of the Great Indie Debuts of 2017". IndieWire. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
15. ^ Blair, Brian (May 4, 2017). "Sundance to help distribute 'Columbus' movie". The Republic. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
16. ^ "Columbus Trailer". Tank. August 2018.
17. ^ Shackleton, Liz (October 2, 2023). "Busan Film Festival Back On Track With Star Power & Strong Line-up Following Management Turmoil". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
18. ^ Brooks, Brian (August 6, 2017). "Taylor Sheridan's 'Wind River' Opens Robust – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
19. ^ Brooks, Brian (August 13, 2017). "'Ingrid Goes West' Scores A Top 2017 Average – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
20. ^ Brooks, Brian (August 20, 2017). "Samuel Goldwyn's 'Gook' Tops Newcomers – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
21. ^ Blair, Brian (October 16, 2017). "Record-setting local run of 'Columbus' ends — for now". The Republic. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
22. ^ "Columbus (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
23. ^ Travers, Peter (August 3, 2017). "'Columbus' Review: Boy Meets Girl, Modern Architecture in Poetic Indie Debut". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
24. ^ a b Dowd, A.A. (August 3, 2017). "Columbus is a lovely ode to architecture and the people who love it". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
25. ^ Erbland, Kate (August 3, 2017). "Movie Review: 'Columbus' takes us to a unique world about architecture". IndieWire. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
26. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (August 4, 2017). "'Columbus' is a charming and beautiful indie debut: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
27. ^ Chang, Justin (August 3, 2017). "Review: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson tour buildings and emotions in the quietly captivating 'Columbus'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
28. ^ Walsh, Katie (September 21, 2017). "Movie Review: 'Columbus' takes us to a unique world about architecture". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020.
29. ^ Formo, Brian (August 2, 2017). "'Columbus' Review: Haley Lu Richardson Lends Immense Heart to Architecture Porn". Collider. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
30. ^ Jones, Oliver (August 3, 2017). "Quiet 'Columbus' is a Cinematic Love Story for Modernist Architecture". Observer. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
31. ^ Brady, Tara (October 5, 2018). "Columbus: a stately, hypnotic drama". The Irish Times. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
32. ^ Nicholson, Ben (October 5, 2018). "Film of the week: Columbus artfully balances a pair of opposites". Sight and Sound. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
33. ^ Cox, Gordon (October 19, 2017). "'Get Out' Leads 2017 Gotham Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
34. ^ "Golden Tomato Awards – Best of 2017". Rotten Tomatoes. January 3, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
35. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 21, 2017). "Spirit Award Nominations: 'Call Me By Your Name', 'Lady Bird', 'Get Out', 'The Rider', 'Florida Project' Best Pics". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
36. ^ "Best of 2017: Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
37. ^ Mauro, Sam (December 21, 2017). "Sam Mauro's Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2017". Silver Screen Beat. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
38. ^ Chang, Justin (December 15, 2017). "'Call Me by Your Name,' 'The Florida Project' lead Justin Chang's 12 best films of 2017". Los Angeles Times. "The best debut feature I saw all year"

## Additional sources

[edit]

* Columbus Case Study | Sundance Institute

## External links

[edit]

* Sundance Institute official site
* Columbus at IMDb
* Columbus at Box Office Mojo
* Columbus movie information at Columbus, Indiana visitor website

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Kogonada

* Columbus (2017)
* After Yang (2021)
* A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)

* v
* t
* e

Columbus, Indiana

Topics|

* John Tipton
* Public art
* White River

Landmarks|

* Bartholomew County Courthouse
* Bartholomew County Historical Museum (McEwen-Samuels-Marr House)
* Columbus City Hall
* Columbus Historic District
* The Crump Theatre
* First Baptist Church
* First Christian Church
* Haw Creek Leather Company
* Irwin Conference Center
* McKinley School
* Miller House
* North Christian Church
* Public art
* The Republic Newspaper Office
* National Register listings

Education|

* Bartholomew Cons. School Corp.
* Columbus East HS
* Columbus North HS
* Mabel McDowell Ed. Ctr.
* Indiana University Columbus

Media|

* The Republic

Transportation|

* ColumBUS
* Columbus Municipal Airport

Culture|

* Columbus (2017 film)

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*[Ref.]: References
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