Kimi

Movie Name: Kimi
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Zoe Kravitz, Byron Bowers, Rita Wilson, Devin Ratray, Jacob Vargas, Derek DelGaudio, Sarai Koo, Jaime Camil, George Evans, Robin Givens, India de Beaufort, Charles Halford, David Wain
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review

Following the well received "No Good Deed", the prolifically talented Steven Soderbergh quickly came back with another release, marking his first collaboration with screenwriter David Koepp (a long time collaborator of Steven Spielberg, for whom he wrote "Jurassic Park", "Lost World", "War of the Worlds", "Indiana Jones 4", and "Disclosure Day"). "Kimi" follows the story of Angela Childs, an agoraphobic tech worker, who has been having troubles going outside for quite some time (a result from an assault she previously experienced), an issue that got substantially worse with the advent of Covid-19. She monitors incoming data streams from the Kimi devices, built and sold by a company that is about to go through an IPO process. She's been dating a neighbor who lives in the building across from her, a lawyer by the name of Terry. Terry has been attempting to get her outside, starting with something as simple as enjoying food from a local food truck, something that is unable to tackle. While going through the daily streams she detects what appears to be a woman being subjected to a violent assault. With the help of a coworker she is able to trace the identity back to a user whose name is Samantha. She uncovers more of that user's recordings, and is horrified to realize that her additional recordings indicate she might have been murdered. She reports the issue to her company, and she's eventually told to come into the office so they can call the FBI and clarify the whole situation. However and while she's waiting, she realizes two individuals are coming to get her, upon which she decides to leave the offices and go to the local FBI offices herself.

David Koepp's scripts are at times hit or miss. His latest collaboration with Steven Soderbergh, the wonderful and criminally underrated "Black Bag" was a perfectly executed thriller, with enough sophistication and character development to warrant multiple viewings. Some of his scripts, including "Secret Window" or even "Premium Rush", which he also directed, just don't work quite as successfully. They are genre films where characters are presented as sketches, and the narrative feels rushed and underdeveloped. Some of those traits are also noticeable on "Kimi", however this film benefits from having Steven Soderbergh at the helm. Mr. Soderbergh has always been able to illustrate the central heroes of his narratives as individuals who have found a unique place for themselves in the world, even if they may come across as borderline anti-conventional (that was the case of James Spader's Graham in "sex, lies, and videotape", Jesse Bradford's Aaron Kurlander in "King of the Hill", or even Julia Roberts' Erin Brockovich, in the film with the same title). Angela may seem at first glance as a modern heroine from a Hitchcock film, or even a distant relation to Sigourney Weaver's Dr. Helen Hudson from Jon Amiel's "Copycat", but as the narrative develops, we get to learn more about what motivates her specific behavior, including her emotional barriers, her relationships with others, and even why is she so intent on reporting what she just captured. The best part of this feature is indeed the way this character comes to life as the narrative develops, even if some of her tribulations with her pursuers diminish the power of his storyline. It would have been interesting if David Koepp had written this film like an updated version of Brian De Palma's "Blow Out", but sadly this script lacks that ambition, and falls a bit too easily into the trappings of a more conventional thriller. Still, even with its script limitations, Steven Soderbergh works his magic defining the claustrophobia of Angela's apartment, as well as the fears she faces when she goes outside. The cast is solid, though it would be interesting to see what Naomi Scott or Jessica Henwick could have done with this part. The production team is solid, since as usual Steven Soderbergh also works as cinematographer, editor, with the addition of the stupendous Cliff Martinez on score (they've been regular collaborators since "sex, lies, and videotape"), and Philip Messina's production design. It's an entertaining and worth watching feature from a very talented film maker.