Should you seek happiness or contentment? Kogonada asks the big questions in 'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey'
South Korean-born American filmmaker Kogonada immediately praises my small notebook when I sat down with him recently in Hollywood for his film “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.”
“I like that you’re not using your phone for your notes,” he says with a smile, sharing that he’s had interviews where journalists used electronics. The director of critically acclaimed indie films “Columbus” and “After Yang” is known for his attention to detail and meditative storytelling. Writing in longhand is his default mode, he says.
With "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey," starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, the filmmaker turns toward perhaps his most expansive theme yet: love, and the courage to embrace it.
Director Kogonada with Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. Photo courtesy of Sony
“I read an essay that said this new generation, there are less people getting married, less people in relationships. And I do think that we live in an age where there's a kind of cynicism or a distrust in that possibility,” he says.
Family remains central to Kogonada’s cinema, but here, the film stretches beyond blood ties, exploring how romantic love and human connection still matter in an age marked by cynicism and doubt.
The filmmaker grew up in the Midwest in an immigrant, working-class family. “The idea that I'm now a director of a film that's about a series of doors opening… that could never be planned. Some doors are open to you, and some doors, you do have to kind of knock a few times and push open,” he says.
A standout scene between mother and daughter lingers on the difference between happiness and contentment—a quiet but profound distinction that resonates long after the film ends. “Contentment is such a deep part of this film,” Kogonada says. “By that last moment, it’s the kind of film I love making.”
"A Big Bold Beautiful Journey" opens in the Philippine theaters on Sept. 13 and in the US on Sept. 19.
Jessica Sanchez shares her love story and the story behind her viral video singing 'Golden'
Ahead of her upcoming return to “America’s Got Talent” live performances this Tuesday in Los Angeles, Jessica Sanchez exclusively shared with me her amazing love story with husband Rickie Gallardo -- as well as the story behind her now-viral video singing “Golden” with Jonathan Tilkin and Anthony Gargiula.
We also talked about the challenges of performing live while almost nine months pregnant (!!!) and a lot more - so tune in for the full story next week.
Taylor Swift and Hollywood romances
“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there: fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge: they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.”
That memorable opening line from “Love Actually” came out 22 years ago, yet somehow, the heartbreaking images conjured up by that “state of the world” part remain as relevant as ever — if not more so. The social media age produces anguish-inducing images in the blink of a scroll. You know how in disaster or apocalyptic films and TV shows, there are oftentimes scientists passionately sounding the alarm that impending doom is coming, yet few are listening? In real life, they’ve been doing that more and more these days, and just like in the movies, few people are listening to them.
Whether it’s the climate crisis, the erosion of democracy and the return of fascism, or AI, data shows that unless the majority of human beings act now, we are heading toward our own doom. At least that’s what science indicates. NBD, science lang naman. Here’s where that laugh-crying emoji would fit.
But real life has also proven time and again that it can imitate art — so maybe some heroes will emerge? Or maybe we already know them all along — and by that, you must know I mean each one of us making sure our real lives don’t end up like the opening act of a dystopian film.
Even some Hollywood power players are taking heed and pivoting away from antiheroes that dominated award-winning shows in the past. "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan announced at the last Writers Guild Awards that, for now, he is done with telling stories of bad guys.
“I say we write more good guys,” he declared, emphasizing that the bad guys onscreen, played by great actors, have become too attractive — and “fictional bad guys stop being the cautionary tales they were intended to be.”
“All things being equal, I think I’d rather be celebrated for creating someone a bit more inspiring.” He explained that right now, “bad guys, the real-life kind, are running amok. Bad guys who make their own rules, bad guys who, no matter what they tell you, are really out for themselves.”
Now that bad guys are being phased out in Hollywood, romance, it seems, is in.
There’s a huge reason why millions of people around the world seemed to have emitted a happy sigh when Taylor Swift recently announced her engagement to Travis Kelce. The internet exploded with celebratory posts, and for a day at least, it erased all the heartbreaking news scrolling down the timeline. She might have written "Anti-Hero," but Taylor (and Travis) really gave many of us a moment of hope.
Romance book adaptations are booming. Despite all the negative publicity around the off-screen drama of “It Ends With Us,” no one can deny that it was a moneymaker. It’s why several books by author Colleen Hoover are in the pipeline for film adaptation, starting with “Regretting YouHere” The TV series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” written by novelist Jenny Han is enjoying high viewership and massive online engagement. With several other greenlit romance films and TV series, Hollywood is mining a treasure trove of stories in uplifting novels with a built-in audience already.
This makes me happy because love stories — whether on-screen or in books — have always been my go-to whenever the state of the world turns darker. I know I’m not alone in repeatedly escaping to the safe, familiar, and comforting worlds of “While You Were Sleeping” or “Sleepless in Seattle” or “To All The Boys” these days.
But though rom-coms and love stories make money — aside from giving joy and comfort to their loyal fanbase — historically, they have not been afforded the prestige that award shows bestow on movies with unhappy endings. Traditionally, critics gravitate more toward stories that have a lot of thoughtful suffering. “La La Land” — beloved by both critics and audiences — did win awards but I still wonder if Damien Chazelle’s 2016 musical romantic comedy-drama would have been as successful in the awards circuit if Mia and Seb had their HEA.
The world needs love, and yet prestige arbiters still turn up their noses at brilliant romantic stories with happy ending. That’s not fair, and I hope that thinking changes in the near future.
Here in Hollywood comes out weekly. Have a question about Hollywood celebrities? Contact Yong on Instagram: @yongchavez