It’s been quite a while since audiences have been treated to a fantasy romance on the big screen. Now, with his new film A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey, director Kogonada is bringing a bit of magic back to the cinema. Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie are captivating in what is a big, bold, beautiful story about love, loss, and regret.

Strangers David (Farrell, reuniting with his After Yang director) and Sarah (Robbie) cross paths at a wedding. Through a series of coincidences, they each arrive in a 1994 Saturn from a car rental agency run by a bizarre duo (Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kevin Kline). Prompted by a GPS, the duo embark on a road trip that takes them through formative moments in their past, allowing them to relive them now in the present.

As with all good fantasy romances, there is a suspension of disbelief involved. Viewers must buy into the notion that these two beautiful strangers could be guided by a magical GPS to random points in their lives. Which, luckily, shouldn’t be that hard, thanks to the sizzling chemistry between Farrell and Robbie. Seth Reiss’ script is rooted in reality, too, so it feels believable that in this universe, it is possible to stumble upon a door in a field and be magically transported back to high school in the 1990s or a picturesque lighthouse in Canada.

David and Sarah are not afraid or even all that concerned that walking through a door transports them through time and space. Their calm reactions and even excitement allow the audience to feel the same. Though not all doorways lead to pleasant memories, there are more than a few surprises in store for the characters and the audience, including a heartfelt and hilarious chance to see teenage David – as a 49-year-old Farrell – lead his high school musical, complete with singing, dancing, and eyeliner.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey truly comes alive through Farrell and Robbie’s performances. While the film follows a familiar romantic trajectory–as the saying goes, it’s not about the destination, but about the journey. Farrell shines as the romantic lead, a character audiences haven’t seen him portray in a while. Robbie, too, is charming and delivers the film’s most emotional moments when Sarah is given the chance to visit with her mother (Lily Rabe), who has since passed away. The duo headline a strong supporting cast that includes Waller-Bridge, Kline, Sarah Gadon, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hamish Linklater, and Billy Magnussen. Though impressive, their on-screen time is pretty brief; so much so, each would best be categorized as a cameo appearance.

Kogonada and cinematographer Benjamin Loeb craft a vibrant world saturated in colour. It’s a cleanly stylized reality where sunsets have a magical glow, reminiscent of studio backlots untouched by real-world grit. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey embraces this sanitized look and feel, using it not as a distraction, but to amplify the emotional depth of David and Sarah’s story. With minimal external interruptions, the full impact of their emotional experience as they revisit pivotal moments remains central to every scene. That is not to suggest that the film only exists to tug on heartstrings or dive deep into emotional manipulation. There is true humour to be found with their fair share of laugh-out-loud moments, thanks especially to Waller-Bridge’s line delivery and moments where David and Sarah acknowledge their unusual circumstances.

In certain instances, the film literally portrays David and Sarah as actors on an empty stage, which, rather than distancing the viewer from the narrative, intensifies the performative aspect of reliving past moments. It is an emotional and intellectual exercise to consider how a person with their present-day knowledge influences their core memories with an understanding and grace they didn’t afford themselves and others at the time. It’s certainly a nice underlying message wrapped in a big-screen romance between two very attractive people.

While A Big Bold Beautiful Journey requires a leap of logic, those willing to make the effort and buy into the premise will be richly rewarded by the film’s big heart.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey opens in theatres on September 19.