A handful of years ago, director Steven Soderbergh said he was retiring from the film industry, but that was short-lived. He's now in the midst of a first-look deal with HBO and HBO Max, helming the new thriller KIMI for the streamer. Liberated from Hollywood's typical studio system, the appeal of a unique voice like Soderbergh signing a deal with a streaming service is a partnership that could result in creative and interesting projects that stand out. In that regard, KIMI is mostly successful. KIMI is bolstered by Zoë Kravitz's central performance and Soderbergh's technical prowess to deliver a modern-age, fast-paced thriller.
In KIMI, Kravitz stars as Angela Childs, an agoraphobic woman who works for a tech company, resolving user issues with their product KIMI, an Alexa-type device. While listening to the latest batch of claims, Angela becomes alarmed when she hears what she suspects is an assault recorded by a user's KIMI device. Looking to bring the mysterious perpetrator to justice, Angela alerts her superiors about the recording, but she encounters numerous hurdles along the way.
On paper, KIMI's premise covers familiar territory such as corporate corruption and the prevalence of technology in our everyday lives. But through Soderbergh's lens, the material is presented in a way that's engaging. At only 89 minutes, the film never even comes close to overstaying its welcome, getting right to the point and forging ahead with momentum until the credits roll. There's no narrative filler; just about everything onscreen serves to flesh out Angela as a character or to tell the story. This allows audiences to stay invested throughout. That approach is welcome, though there are some instances where KIMI tells, rather than shows — particularly when it comes to key aspects of Angela's backstory. Viewers will be able to sympathize with Angela, but the storytelling does rely on expository dialogue in some spots.
In other areas, Soderbergh uses strong visual storytelling to illustrate aspects of Angela's character. She's efficiently set up as a loner cut off from the outside world. Her agoraphobia is implemented into the film very well, creating tense and unsettling sequences revolving around something as mundane as going outside. Angela's condition gives more depth to the story overall. She's not just someone looking to do what's right; she's willingly stepping out of her comfort zone (for reasons that become increasingly apparent as the film goes on). Kravitz plays Angela with a bit of a curt edge fitting of a social outsider, but also grounds the character with enough humanity to make her compelling. In some ways, she helps elevate what's on the page by conveying bits of Angela's history and feelings through interactions with other characters.
Kravitz carries KIMI with her performance, though the supporting cast comes across as underserved. The rest of the ensemble largely feel two-dimensional, as if they're just there for the purpose of filling out roles in the narrative. Since KIMI is told from Angela's perspective, this makes sense. By her nature, she isn't one to have a plethora of well-developed relationships with people. Angela's lack of connections also seems like a byproduct of KIMI being produced during the pandemic. Soderbergh creatively uses FaceTime for several scenes where Angela's talking to others as a workaround COVID-19 conditions, but many actors are short-changed. Even Byron Bowers as Terry, the closest thing Angela has to a friend, doesn't have much to do. None of the actors are bad in their roles, but due to the script's construction, Kravitz is really the only one in the cast who makes any kind of meaningful impact.
Streaming is the ideal place for a movie like KIMI. Even in pre-pandemic times, it's the kind of smaller-scale title that would have gotten lost in the shuffle with a wide theatrical release. By going straight to HBO Max, it will be easily accessible and should be able to find its niche at home. KIMI may not rank among the best works of Soderbergh's storied career, but it's still a well-made and smart thriller fueled by relevant and timely themes. Soderbergh fans and those looking for a slick thriller should be inclined to check KIMI out when they get a chance.
KIMI streams on HBO Max on February 10, 2022. The film is 89 minutes long and is rated R for violence, language, and brief sexuality/nudity.
