Colossal - an enchanting (& monstrous) tale of the unexpected (QFT until 1 June)

Gloria (played by Anne Hathaway) is an accident-prone, alcohol-fuelled, very forgetful, happy-go-lucky young writer who has been out of work for a year and shows no signs of pulling herself together to find a new job. Her boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) packs her bags.

“… keeps moving, destroying things in its way, never looking down”

She returns to her home town, camps out in her parents’ vacant house and reconnects with Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), a friend from elementary school, who runs the local bar. Unexpectedly, she comes to realise that what she does is linked to the actions of a potentially destructive monster that appears on the other side of the world and towers above the skyscrapers in Seoul.

Written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, over 100 minutes Colossal explores how these personal and international catastrophes are connected.

Right from the start, the fine story-telling sets up a yarn that is unpredictable and keeps you guessing. The tale is so well told that you are securely reeled into the strange universe that has been created on screen. An element of surprise is always around the corner, usually accompanied with a dollop of humour.

Colossal could have been a classic anime film. Instead it’s closer to Certain Women as we watch a country-music accompanied character study of a woman sorting out her life in a dopey mid-west town. The devastating scenes from Seoul are mostly watched through footage on mobile phones and TV screens.



A film about private actions and hurt storing up public consequences and pain. A film bullying, jealousy and childhood trauma where men are the true monsters. But most of all, an enchanting tale of the unexpected.

Well worth a trip to the Queen’s Film Theatre to see Colossal before 1 June.