Kogonada is masterful in his ability to cut through the background noise. His films shake you out of the capitalist delusion and bring you back to reality. We are all one, made from the same stars, where connection feels like magic, and a deep breath can make your body feel light as a feather. I was introduced to him in 2021 with his film After Yang. Once the credits rolled, I was in such a serene state I felt compelled to go for a walk. Every minuscule detail around me, that I had passed hundreds of times before with no thought, became so clear to me. Colors were more vibrant, sounds we’re more defined, even the breeze felt crisper. When I heard Kogonada had a new film premiering at Sundance, it shot up to the top of my interests. Following the mixed reception of his first big budget film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, I had to know if K was able to get back to his roots and craft another profound experience in the visual medium.

I went into zi knowing nothing, other than it was filmed in secret in about 3 weeks in Hong Kong. The film follows Zi (Michelle Mao), a high esteemed cellist who may have to cancel going on tour due to a possible health issue. She feels stuck, lost, out of place. Her family has passed on and deep feelings of sorrow wash over her as she realizes she’s forgetting their faces. The people who loved her so dearly fading away like ghosts. Out of all the people in the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Zi finds comfort in Elle (Haley Lu Richardson) who is also adrift. A foreigner from Arizona in a ridiculous wig, wondering around the city collecting sounds. On the surface, the two couldn’t appear more different, yet there is a connection blossoming. As the two wonder around the city, a man, played by Jin Ha with a connection to both women, follows them and note takes their every action.

The film is less focused on following a traditional narrative structure and more on taking the audience into Zi’s headspace, with memory and reality being more fluid than most tend to perceive. Best displayed by cinematographer Benjamin Loeb intermixing camerawork between the Bolex 16mm, Red Komodo, and SONY FX3. He’s able to achieve this ethereal affect that makes these anonymous characters feel like living breathing pieces of the city. They are looking for themselves in the city, trying to find purpose after their intended paths didn’t work out in their favor. Harmony and dissonance being different sides of the same coin. You have to first loose yourself to then, in turn, find your purpose.

Most people I talked to were not able to connect with the film. They had valid points about the plot and dialogue. One friend even considered the film to be frustrating. I just read a quote on twitter this morning: “Is the writing bad or are you just trying to order a milkshake from Home Depot?” Kogonada’s films exist in a place outside of the traditional narrative-heavy framework. They’re more about a feeling or a state of mind. It’s about eliciting a more naturalistic quality out of the viewer. Like when you can smell in the air it’s about to rain or when the beauty of the sunset makes you stop in your tracks. Kogonada is skillfully able to pull the viewer out of one’s head and remind us that we’re all specs of of the same universe. Kogonada is a film lover. His visual language is reminiscent of the greats like Ingmar Bergman, Wong Kar-wai, and Terrence Malick.

I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason. What happens in life, who you meet, where you go, what job you take to pays your bills, what activities you do to find pleasure - every choice you make all leads you to exactly where you’re meant to be. Not predestination, but fate - there’s a difference. Fate is something you are meant for and expected, but the journey there is loose and can be changed. Predestination is cemented fact, a role you WILL become. The entire world is connected by little invisible threads that reverberate back all the way to the big bang. One connection influences everything else. The web never stops growing, transforming into new forms every second. Zi and Elle’s connection was unavoidable. The story was always meant to be told.

I personally find such magic and connection with Kogonada’s work. Out of sheer coincidence, the day before a road trip east, I watched Columbus. I was so moved by the film, a feeling in my gut shifted. I rearranged my plans and shifted my visit in Indiana from the capital city to this architectural haven. While walking through the filming locations, I felt the same magic in my stomach as I did seeing them on screen. zi elicits that same cerebral feeling, a subtlety that you either click with or you don’t. He’s able to capture a wavelength - supernatural connection to time and space. Go into the film with nothing but an open mind and be ready to enter a new cerebral thought process.

Sundance 2026 | Movie Review: "zi"; A Meditative depiction of an Inevitably Connection