Meet the Critic: Robert Kojder

In the Chicago Critics Film Festival’s new “Meet the Critic” series, we’re introducing our readers to some of the many talented members of our Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group, which celebrates the art of film and film criticism.

In today’s feature, meet Robert Kojder, who has been covering all facets of the entertainment industry (including film, gaming, and professional wrestling) since the early 2010s. He now serves as the head film critic for Flickering Myth. In addition to being on the CFCA, he also is a member of the Critics Choice Association and Online Film Critics Society. 

Read his answers to our inaugural Meet the Critic Q&A below.

How has being based in Chicago informed your criticism? 

The funny thing is, I live in the Southwest suburbs and had never actually gone to Chicago to see a movie until I attended a promo screening of This Is the End (I was around 24).  I didn't have a full-time position reviewing films and was still trying to break into that field. From there, I established contacts to become an official press invitee and then branched out into the festival scene, starting with CIFF and, fittingly for this questionnaire, the CCFF. It's also nice not having to go to Toronto, Venice, Sundance, or wherever, since Chicago festivals generally do a great job of condensing the best of the best. The movie scene here is bustling with wonderful critics and theaters (I'm looking at you, Music Box). Even before then, I had always read Roger Ebert (a cliché, I know) and have been fascinated by his approach to criticism, specifically in reviewing a film not for what it's about, but for how it accomplishes its goals.

With such a rich history in film criticism that continues to this day, I have always thought it ridiculous that studios now exclusively favor Los Angeles and New York for early screenings and press junkets. However, there is a direct influence on most of the critics here, especially myself, in that we are the most brutally honest market for criticism, which is something I take pride in. Time after time, movies premiere on the coasts and are met with grandstanding responses that set up impossible expectations, only for a screening to come along in Chicago, where the film is met with more grounded and fair reception. I'm sure Los Angeles and New York are lovely places, but if Chicago is going to be seen as lesser than by these studios, I'm grateful that we are free from the hype machine and that you moviegoers can always count on for more level headed criticism that's not influenced by celebrity star power or fancy premiere bells and whistles.

Perhaps some people will think I'm taking it to the extreme, but from around 2015/16, when I started to understand how I wanted to use my grading scale (which is not to say that scores are all that matter, because you should absolutely always read the text before anything), I've only given maybe seven films a perfect score. Off the top of my head, two of them have played this festival: Eighth Grade and The Power of the Dog. I know I wasn't asked to give advice, but that's also what I would tell to any aspiring critics: Don't get into this for the money (lol there is none in this industry anymore, sadly), or go crazy over every movie hoping to get quoted or noticed, and never be afraid to be the odd one out and rip apart a movie everyone loves. Do it because criticism still matters.

What’s a title from our line-up that you’re excited for people to see? (or a title that the festival has programmed in the past that you’ve loved)

Last year, we played a documentary called The Remarkable Life of Ibelin about a person with muscular dystrophy who found ways to overcome the limitations of that disability and live a richly fulfilling life, building close friendships within World of Warcraft. It's a film that resonated on a deeply personal level, as I have a variation of the same condition, and also because we were born around the same year and clearly grew up with similar interests. If someone wanted to get to know me through a film, it's the no-brainer suggestion, as it's not just the regressive lack of mobility over time that resonated with me. 

In all likelihood, some people underestimate or pity disabled people, and here is a beautiful documentary that shows you don't have to, and what we are capable of, while also showing how valid online connections can be. I've never played World of Warcraft, but I've also made many friends online through video games and the film criticism industry. I don't have the same freedom to travel and network as others do, but I'm always interested in chatting with others online, especially people whose work I respect. This documentary also works on that level, questioning and redefining what friendships can look like in the modern age. It's one of the best films we have ever programmed and certainly one of the best documentaries of the past decade. I'm grateful to those in the CFCA who took my suggestion to program it seriously, and, of course, Netflix for allowing us to play it.

For this year, you're in for a treat if you have a ticket for Eva Victor's feature-length writing/directing debut Sorry, Baby, which is a devastating but tonally unique take on processing and moving on from trauma. It's also a beautifully stealthy movie about friendship and how Naomi Ackie is the best friend anyone could ever have. For something more fun, check out Twinless, which is unhinged and batshit crazy, and not at all the wholesome gay romance I wrongly assumed it was going to be before checking it out on the Sundance virtual platform. Desert Road is a fun, twisted thriller. I can also vouch for Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, a talented and entertaining musician to learn about who also has some famous friends popping into this documentary that I don't think anyone will be expecting.

What’s a piece that you’ve written that you’re most proud of and why?

It's only fitting that I revisitThe Remarkable Life of Ibelin for this answer. It is the most personal I've ever written about a film, and the only one I've ever reviewed while in tears (not necessarily because of the movie, but more about how much I felt seen by it). 

I'm also grateful for any chance I get to interview talent. Of the several I have done, by far my favorite came last year when we had Jane Schoenbrun here for the incredible I Saw the TV Glow. They really took their time answering each question thoughtfully, and it's my favorite interview to share."

Follow Robert at Letterboxd and X.