Kimi

Kimi is a computer assistant similar to Alexa. Angela Childs (Zoë Kravitz) works for the company to monitor individual Kimi recordings. With her agoraphobia, she is unable to go out like going to the dentist for needed dental work. She thinks that she has discovered a crime in one of the recordings.

Director Steven Soderbergh delivers a well-made film. For the first half, I thought this was Soderbergh doing COVID filming with Kravitz doing mostly solo scenes. I wouldn't mind that. I appreciate somebody making it work and it fits the character. That's why I don't like the office section. It doesn't fit the character. She should try to go out and fail. It heightens her vulnerability if she can't leave. This could have been Soderbergh's Rear Window. As it stands, the start is a bit slow but it's a fine thriller.

65/100

Kimi doesn't do nearly as much as it could with its tech-spin premise on the conspiracy thriller, and it certainly is no untouchable masterpiece of character work. The script could have used a little more meat on its bones as it relates to character development and world building.

But what it does do is just enough. I found this film to be an extraordinarily efficient work of pacing. It's never so slow that it becomes boring; there's always something to pay attention to in every scene. And the second half of the film really becomes riveting with constant variety in location, physical threat, and power dynamics.

It's certainly a decent thriller, though it's definitely a lesser work from Steven Soderbergh.

Kimi is fruitful yet incomplete. First, the story introduces interesting ideas, but doesn't follow through. Zoe Kravitz's agoraphobic protagonist leads a confined life before stumbling upon a crime recorded on a home device. From there, Kravitz attempts to expose the crime, but she's met with a bureaucratic conspiracy. This premise establishes themes of captivity, surveillance, and systemic injustice. However, these subjects don't concretely pay off. Similarly, the acting is inconsistent. Kravitz optimizes the role, yet her material is one note. She adds layers but the script lacks a clear arc, stagnating her performance. Meanwhile, her supporting cast (besides Wilson) is weak.

Beyond Kravitz, Kimi's virtue is its filmmaking. The cast, production, and effects are sparse, but craftsmanship is potent. For example, the cinematography uses varied shots and compositions to keep entertainment high and emotions palpable. In Kravitz's apartment, overheads and extreme close-ups convey importance and maintain engagement. Outside, Dutch angles, unsteady movement, and confined spacing express intense anxiety. Plus, the editing efficiently matches Kravitz's mental state, the sound symbolically reflects her perspective, and the music is oddly fitting. Soderbergh gets plenty out of this limited project. Ultimately, Kimi has merit but isn't a must-see.

Writing: 6/10 Direction: 8/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Acting: 8/10 Editing: 8/10 Sound: 8/10 Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 Production Design: 6/10 Casting: 6/10 Effects: 6/10

Overall Score: 7.2/10.

There was a lot more filler than there was substance, and although slow paced, thankfully, the 89 min runtime flew by. Sadly though, this predictable thriller was pretty much thrill-less. Zoe Kravitz's performance was spot on, but that's pretty much it. Even the gangster types were pretty lame and boring. Nevertheless, a decent one time watch. It's a generous 6/10 from me. Kimi, post this review.

This was an entertaining hour and a half but its was missing something. There are some interesting characters, a nice enough plot line, a decent character reveal and an entertaining conclusion. Unfortunately, it felt a touch glossed over, simplified. A touch more complexity, a bit more depth would have made this something special. As it was, it's still worth a watch, but it won't wow you.