89
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistJessica KiangThe PlaylistJessica KiangA gentle but sharply defined story, brimming with grace, compassion and performances of perfect naturalism, it is unashamedly intellectual yet deeply human.
- 100Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenThe seeming miracle of Columbus is its mixture of formal precision with a philosophical grasp of human mystery.
- 100VarietyGeoff BerkshireVarietyGeoff BerkshireThe hypnotically paced drama carried by the serendipitous odd-couple pairing of John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson is lovely and tender, marking Kogonada as an auteur to watch.
- 100Screen DailyJonathan RomneyScreen DailyJonathan RomneyInto what might have been an alienating, hard-edged setting, human warmth comes from some relishably muted performances.
- 100The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyRichardson in particular vaults to the forefront of her generation’s actors with this performance, which virtually sings with emotional and intellectual acuity.... Few performances—and few films—glow as brightly with the gemlike fire of precocious genius.
- 100Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangWhat’s remarkable about this wondrously assured debut is that technique never overwhelms feeling, in part because Kogonada makes the two seem inextricably, harmoniously linked.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijA soft-spoken and perceptive film set in the Modernist small-town marvel that is Columbus, Indiana, this is a specialized art house treat that announces the arrival of a new director who combines small-scale, Ozu-like humanism with an impressive command of the formalist possibilities of film.
- 88Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversDelicate business is being transacted in Columbus, a whisper-soft debut from Kogonada that nonetheless results in something unique and unforgettable. It's pure cinema.
- 83The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupUnfolding with a specific eye for grandeur in every space, the images resonate long after the credits roll.
- 80Village VoiceBilge EbiriVillage VoiceBilge EbiriAn outwardly chilly, resolutely static film that nevertheless finds poignancy in the most surprising places, Kogonada’s directorial debut does a couple of important things so well that I can’t help but forgive the things it doesn’t.