A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
In an age of discordance born from ubiquitous digitalisation, people are increasingly turning to nostalgia as a coping mechanism. For Millennials in particular, there’s often a desire to return to a seemingly simpler time, one in which human connection was formed by IRL interactions as opposed to the device in our hands. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a plaintive meditation on the desire to amend one’s past.
Director Kogonada reunites with Colin Farrell for his third feature film. Farrell plays David, a solitary 40-something whose only connection to the outside world comes from interactions with his ageing parents. Hiring a rental car to attend a wedding, he has a bizarre interaction with the two employees, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (adopting a German inflexion) and Kevin Kline. At the wedding, he encounters the enigmatic Sarah (Margot Robbie), with whom he has an instant connection. A satnav that appears to do more than just dictate physical direction reunites the two the following morning, and they embark on their titular journey of self-discovery.
There’s more than a tinge of A Christmas Carol here, with David and Sarah revisiting the most emotional, and sometimes traumatic, moments of their past. Both deeply troubled – and each believing themselves to be fundamentally broken – they ultimately bond over their shared tragedies. Kogonada’s direction is delicate and ruminative; the fantasy elements are tastefully done, never becoming overbearing. Despite the otherworldly motifs, the characters’ interpersonal issues remain grounded firmly in reality, with their journey serving more as a philosophical metaphor.
Farrell and Robbie are likeable as always, projecting their unmistakable charisma. However, their onscreen rapport is one of warm camaraderie as opposed to smouldering romance. For a romantic drama like this, their chemistry doesn’t quite gel. And it must be said that Sarah is on the precipice of manic pixie dream girl, recalling Kate Winslet’s famous “I’m just a f***ed up girl” speech from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. While Robbie does a fantastic job of portraying Sarah as more multifaceted than that trope, she does so in spite of the script’s limitations.
Nevertheless, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is as much an earnest look at self-discovery as it is a coupling drama. It’s with the former that it excels, offering a hopeful message of self-reflection amid trauma. With two endearing lead performances, the film is a unique, earnest take on time travel without being overtly gimmicky.
Antonia Georgiou
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is released nationwide on 19th September 2025.
Watch the trailer for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey here:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
RSS