Direction: Steven Soderbergh
Country: USA
The very opportune Kimi - a tense, character-driven and technology-motivated thriller with a dandy payoff - showcases the American director Steven Soderbergh in top form, and provides more than enough dark giggles to compensate for the lighter tones of previous flops like The Laundromat (2019) and Let Them Talk (2020). Written by David Koepp (Stir of Echoes, 1999; The Panic Room, 2002), the film soars above most of the recently released thrillers, presenting an intriguing story that takes place in Seattle, Washington.
Angela Childs (Zoë Kravitz) is an agoraphobic voice stream interpreter who works from home for the thriving tech corporation that runs Kimi, a voice-activated device with strong similarities with Alexa. While working on a piece of audio, Angela finds out disturbing words suggesting sexual assault and later evidence of murder. But when, miserably and resolutely, she sets foot out of her apartment to report the incident to her superiors, there's only pressure and hostility instead of appreciation.
Vividly directed and acted, Kimi is not deprived of some plot swings but, well supplied with panicking situations and oppressive atmospheres, provides a bravura mixture of psychological trauma and crime. The integrity is always there beneath the thriller elements, but Angela conquers her fears with unremitting rage and a special fondness for nail guns. This is a potent cocktail of mystery, phobia and danger. This is the Soderbergh we’ve all been missing so much.
