One of the lines that stood out for me in Kodachrome (2017), among many, is when famous photographer Benjamin “Ben” Asher Ryder (Ed Harris) is describing the word for what people like him do.  He refers to them as “preservationists,” and that they take pictures in order to “stop time.”  Earlier, he is railing against the number of images people take with their phones.  To an artist like him, those are just data, nothing tangible, and he worries that our lives will just as easily be erased.  Already, there is a lot to unpack here, philosophically and theologically, and I will do my best to give these ideas justice.  Overall, the film is about not only letting go of the past, which seems to be the opposite of the role of a photographer in society according to Ben, but also learning how to heal.  Being a sort of artsy guy myself, I was drawn to this film because of the MacGuffin, which we will get to in a moment.  By the end, what satisfied me is the exploration of the themes already mentioned.

Matt Ryder (Jason Sudeikis), Ben’s son, is into a different medium than Kodachrome.  Matt works for a record label, and his job is to attract and keep bands producing albums with his company.  Things have been slow for him in recent years, and on the night during which the film begins, he learns that his highest grossing group has signed with another label.  The next day at work, his boss wants to fire him, citing this latest setback and a lack of success in recent years.  Desperate to save his job, Matt comes up with a plan to bring in one of the hottest bands around even though he has no connections with them.  It does not get any easier when he enters his own office.  Waiting for him there is Zooey Kern (Elizabeth Olsen).  She is the personal assistant and caregiver for Ben.  Given that last title, you can guess that she does not come with the best of news.  Ben is dying, the result of a battle with liver cancer, and he does not have long to live.  For most, this would be devastating, but Matt has not spoken to his father in ten years.  Even when they had a relationship, Matt resented Ben for being more interested in photography, for cheating on his mom, and for generally being absent.  This is all symbolized in how Matt refers to Ben by his first name rather than as dad.  Because of this, Matt is not interested in anything Zooey has to say and ushers her out of the door.  Before she leaves, though, she encourages him to at least see Ben one last time before he passes.  With this weighing on Matt, he visits his dad’s home.  Before Matt enters, he is greeted by Zooey and Larry Holdt (Dennis Haysbert), Ben’s manager.  Ben himself is in one of the room’s playing the drum set he had purchased for Matt a while ago.  They see each other, and that seems to be enough for Matt, until Larry intervenes.  Ben wants Matt to drive with him and Zooey to Parsons, Kansas.  Recently, Ben found a few rolls of the title type of film.  There is only one lab left in the world that develops it, and it is found miles away in the middle of the country.  For medical reasons, Ben cannot simply fly there to do his business.  After hearing all the reasons for Matt’s presence, he still wants nothing to do with the trip.  Larry then sweetens the deal by saying that the band he hopes to woo will be playing in Chicago, which is along the proposed route from New York to Kansas.  Finally, Matt relents, and Ben and Zooey pick him up in the morning.  As they take to the road, Ben quickly grows impatient with their global positioning system (GPS) and throws it out of the car.  It also becomes apparent why Matt has his troubles with Ben as the old man bluntly states that he knows he is a jerk.  Matt puts up with it less because Ben does not have long to live, but because he wants to save his career.  Speaking of being on death’s door, Ben has a brother, Dean Ryder (Bruce Greenwood), who lives outside of Cleveland, which is also on their way to Chicago.  Thus, they make a surprise visit and are welcomed by Dean and Sarah (Wendy Crewson), Dean’s wife.  They are less thrilled with Ben’s arrival, but excited to see Matt, who lived with Dean and Sarah after Matt’s mom passed away.  It is Sarah that notices an attraction between Matt and Zooey, though they downplay it.  Yet, they bond over music in Matt’s old room, and later he makes a half-drunken pass at her.  Luckily, this is stopped before it gets anywhere.  Ben assumes otherwise, and soon wears out his welcome the next morning.  In any case, it is on to Chicago.  After the show, Matt, following a little advice from Ben, is able to convince the group of the need to be with Matt’s label.  Just as quickly this is rescinded when Ben has an accident, prompting the musicians to make fun of Matt’s dad.  Matt essentially tells them off, thus sealing his fate with his company.  Ben thinks Matt has made a mistake, and when Zooey points out that Matt had been defending his father, Ben fires her.  She then proceeds to get drunk and sleep with Matt.  When he wakes up, it is to her packing her bags to leave, believing that she is no good.  Further, Matt finds Ben unconscious on the floor.  Ben must go to the hospital, which puts their trip in jeopardy because the doctors say he cannot leave.  What it does do is give Ben the opportunity to apologize and tell his son that he loves him.  In response, Matt smuggles Ben out of the hospital and they complete the trek to Parsons.  With one last hiccup, the film is developed.  However, before Ben can see it, he dies that night.  Larry comes to tell Matt that Ben’s last wish was to have Matt curate Ben’s final show.  It closes with Matt’s in his dad’s old house, reviewing the pictures they went so far to develop, all of them of him and his mom and dad, with Zooey there for support.

Before I got too deep into Kodachrome, my Catholic antenna went up when Sarah talked about the “aura” around Matt and Zooey.  Such words are part of a bland “spiritualism” that at its most innocuous means nothing, but at its worst can lead people to satan.  I am not joking about that last bit.  Having said that, I would rather focus on the themes I mentioned in the introduction.  Christianity is big on letting go of the past.  It is something Matt needs to do, obviously, but the same can be said for Ben and Zooey.  For them, it is about being mentally healthy.  For us, this also applies to spiritual health.  Everyone has their past hurts, and ultimately what you see here and in real life is an inability to enter into relationships.  Matt with his father, Ben with practically everyone, and Zooey in having a committed relationship.  She had cheated on her husband, which ended her marriage.  I mention that only because it is not pictured in the film.  Everything else I have discussed is pretty evident.  Letting go of those hurts is part of the healing process.  I have seen this in many people in how they approach God.  It manifests itself either in a lack of belief, a reticence to pray, or in not participating in their faith in general.  One can only imagine the kinds of trauma people went through to get to such a point.  What I am saying here, too, is not about invalidating those terrible experiences.  Letting go does not equal forgetting, but forgiving does help.  If nothing else, this movie is a testament to that fact.  This is best done when you invite God into your life.

There is one last matter to say on Faith in regards to Kodachrome.  All the stuff that Zooey had experienced and is trying to leave behind is brought back to the surface when she has sex with Matt.  It is yet another reminder of why such things are best saved for marriage, not to mention the emotional harm her philandering caused her while she was married.  There is an interesting point there about these matters.  If sex outside the confines of marriage is not a big deal, why do spouses care if they are not faithful?  Food for thought.  In the meantime, this film is a good one and it gets my recommendation.