Kodachrome (2017)
Story overview
Kodachrome is a 2017 drama-comedy about Matt Ryder, who reluctantly accompanies his estranged, terminally ill father Benjamin and Ben's nurse Zooey on a road trip to deliver four rolls of Kodachrome film to the last lab that can develop them before it closes. The journey explores their strained relationship, themes of forgiveness, and the transition from analog to digital eras.
Parent Guide
A thoughtful drama about family reconciliation and legacy with mature themes suitable for teens and adults. Contains emotional intensity, strong language, and discussions of death.
Content breakdown
No physical violence. Some tense arguments and emotional confrontations. One scene shows a character experiencing medical distress related to terminal illness.
Themes of terminal illness and impending death are central to the plot. Emotional scenes of a dying father reconciling with his son. Some viewers may find the medical aspects and discussions of mortality disturbing.
Includes occasional strong language: 'f**k' (several times), 's**t', 'a**hole', 'goddamn', and other milder profanity. Language reflects the characters' emotional states during conflicts.
Brief kissing between adult characters. Some mild sexual references and innuendo in dialogue. No nudity or explicit sexual content.
Social drinking in bars and restaurants. Characters drink alcohol in several scenes, including at emotional moments. One character takes prescription medication for pain management. No glorification of substance use.
High emotional intensity throughout as characters confront past traumas, terminal illness, and family estrangement. Several emotionally charged scenes of confrontation, vulnerability, and reconciliation. Themes of regret, forgiveness, and mortality are explored deeply.
Parent tips
This film deals with mature themes including terminal illness, family estrangement, and emotional reconciliation. It contains some strong language and emotional intensity that may be challenging for younger viewers. Best suited for mature teens and adults who can process complex family dynamics and end-of-life themes.
Parent chat guide
Parent follow-up questions
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- What did you think about the car trip in the movie?
- How did the characters show they cared about each other?
- Why do you think Matt was angry with his father at first?
- What did the Kodachrome photos mean to the characters?
- How did the characters change during their journey?
- How does the film explore themes of forgiveness and regret?
- What does the movie say about father-son relationships and legacy?
- How does the analog vs. digital theme connect to the characters' personal journeys?
- What did you think about the portrayal of terminal illness and reconciliation?
🎭 Story Kernel
At its core, 'Kodachrome' is about the painful, necessary work of reconciliation—not just between a dying father and his estranged son, but between the analog past and the digital present. Matt, the son, is driven by a desperate need to save his failing career, which forces him into proximity with his father, the legendary photographer Ben. Ben is driven by a desire to leave a tangible, physical legacy—his last rolls of Kodachrome film—before he dies. Their journey becomes a negotiation over what we choose to preserve and what we let fade. The film argues that some connections, like the chemical bonds in film, require specific conditions to develop properly, and that time, however limited, is the most crucial reagent.
🎬 Visual Aesthetics
The film's visual language is a quiet elegy for analog photography. Director Mark Raso and cinematographer Alan Poon employ a clean, slightly desaturated digital palette for the present-day narrative, contrasting sharply with the rich, warm, hyper-saturated glimpses of Ben's iconic Kodachrome slides. The camera often lingers in static, portrait-like compositions, mimicking the framed finality of a photograph. The road trip sequences through the American Midwest are shot with a sweeping, cinematic grandeur that feels both expansive and lonely, visually reinforcing the emotional distance the characters are traversing. The act of looking—through a camera viewfinder, at old photos, or simply at each other—is given profound visual weight.
🔍 Details & Easter Eggs
💡 Behind the Scenes
The film is loosely inspired by a 2010 New York Times article titled 'For Kodachrome Fans, Road Ends at Photo Lab in Kansas.' The real-life Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, Kansas, was the last lab in the world to process Kodachrome film, closing in 2010. Ed Harris, who plays Ben, is an accomplished painter in real life, which informed his character's artistic temperament. The production secured permission to use the Kodachrome name and brand imagery from Eastman Kodak. Jason Sudeikis prepared for his role as Matt by shadowing a real music agent to understand the industry's pressures.
Where to watch
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Trailer
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