Kajillionaire (2020)

Directed by: Miranda July | 105 minutes | crime, drama | Actors: Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Belcher, Kim Estes, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Rachel Redleaf, Randy Ryan, Mark Ivanir, Blanca Araceli, Diana Maria Riva, Gina Rodriguez, Betsy Baker, Michelle Gillette, Susan Berger

Robert and Theresa are two baby boomers who have missed the financial boat. The couple tries to make ends meet from petty theft, crumb scams and participating in Internet crumb contests. At night they sleep in a factory building where once a day the walls are flooded with pink foam. During the day they roam the sunny streets of Los Angeles with Old Dolio, their 26-year-old daughter. This girl, with a name like a circus pony and the face of a deceased hippie, has been so emotionally neglected that she almost died inside.

One day, this trio meets the bubbly Puerto Rican Melanie. He is immediately attracted to Old Dolio, with whom she develops a bond of trust. Melanie also has something to offer Robert and Theresa: new ways to make money. Lots of money.

The American feature film ‘Kajillionaire’ is difficult to pin down to a genre, but comedic drama comes close. The film mainly revolves around the coming of age of Old Dolio. We see how she begins to see her parents as the hopeless creatures that they are. And she sees that she herself is less hopeless than she thinks.

All this comes to us in alienating and funny scenes, with howling foremen, turbulence in the air and earthquakes on the ground, a suddenly glowing starry sky, eccentric rich men and massages that you can not exchange for a beautiful piece of rock. Then there’s the clever script and beautiful roles of Evan Rachel Wood and Gina Rodriguez. Still, in the end, it’s the moving scenes with Old Dolio that stick with you the most.

For the right perspective, it’s useful to know that ‘Kajillionaire’ is the brainchild of director, screenwriter, artist and writer Miranda July (‘Me and You and Everyone We Know’). Like kindred spirits like Alex van Warmerdam, Wes Anderson and Anders Tomas Jensen, July creates a unique universe, without ending up in surrealism. In ‘Kajillionaire’ the characters are just not lifelike, but lifelike enough to bond with.

The colorful universe of ‘Kajillionaire’ is a great place to spend an hour and a half. This coming-of-age of a 26-year-old stays with you because of the visuals, humor and completely individual style and tone. Not suitable for everyone, but lovers of quirky and moving arthouse know enough.