Asha Ahn

A review of Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, a minimalist, tragicomic twist on the heist genre, following Josh O’Connor as an apathetic family man whose amateur art theft slowly falls apart.

In recent years, viewers have increasingly tuned into the vapid online interfaces of TikTok and Instagram, while turning away from similar images rendered on the cinema screen. In her essay, Asha Ahn examines why contemporary film has struggled to capture modern internet culture while keeping its audience engaged, and how filmmakers are grappling with shifting perceptions of our digital lives.