Columbus

Architecture has never been more romantic than in "Columbus," single-name director Kogonada's stunningly beautiful film.

Rarely will images of mighty concrete and stone dwellings set against tranquil waters or a gentle spring shower resonate so powerfully as those on display every day in the southern Indiana city of Columbus, captured so breathtakingly in the film.

[Columbus] unfolds in a series of grandly composed frames that range from fanatically symmetrical interior shots to boldly geometric exterior shots showcasing the local gems.

Few contemporary American films operate on this level of aesthetic precision. In a first feature, yet.

Kogonada in his impressive feature debut applies the principles of these architects to the compositions and structure of the film, a formal tour-de-force that eclipses its modest - though affecting and impeccably acted - narrative.

Each shot is meticulously composed without appearing mannered; the characters, often seen from a distance, make up an integral part of the landscape they occupy rather than being framed picturesquely against it.

Kogonada's cleverly integrated use of the architecture, beautifully framed from visual and narrative standpoints, lends his freshman feature a sense of modernist mastery...

Director Kogonada, in his impressive debut, conveys emotion through site and sound. He turns out to be a master of not just visual setting, but of conversational filmmaking, and his "Columbus" might just be a masterpiece

It may take a little more effort and patience to appreciate what Columbus has to say about friendship, grief and courage, but the messages are worth that effort.

A warm, quietly devastating drama that has plenty to offer for those open to something subtle.

... a tender, beautiful gem that should not be overlooked.

Columbus is a small, intimate film playing out on a big canvas, a personal drama set amongst titanic works. It's good actors doing good acting in a film shot by a master of composition.