Can anything be kept secret anymore? That’s what Steven Soderbergh’s latest, Kimi, asks.
In this trailer’s only surprise, Kimi is not the name of the main character. Instead, it’s the name of the Alexa-like virtual assistant to an agoraphobic woman in Seattle. When she hears a potential murder and tries to report it, everything about her life is used to question whether she heard anything at all.
Yes, it’s material so well-worn that there’s also a satirical Kristen Bell series with the same premise coming out a few weeks before. To be fair, there is a tech slant with the presence of Kimi and an audio recording of the potential murder, but it’s the same basic idea as The Woman in the Window and many, many other did-she-really-see-that thrillers.
Perhaps the only two reasons to think this might be fresh are Soderbergh and star Zoë Kravitz. Soderbergh has found plenty of ways to make down and dirty thrillers fun, so maybe he’ll brew some magic yet again. Kravitz, meanwhile, is an endless fun and interesting performer.
Also hanging in the background of this movie is COVID-19, having been shot during the pandemic and weaved its anxieties and realities into the story. I don’t know how major a factor that will be, but at least it matches the themes of this very particular subgenre.
Kimi is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Zoë Kravitz, Rita Wilson, and Devin Ratray. It will be released on HBO Max on February 10th, 2022.
Will you tune in to see if the murder is real? Let us know in the comments!
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