After Yang

So few of these hi-concept lo-budget sci-fi films succeed, it is important for both critics and viewers alike to honor those that pull it off. That said, to argue that the brilliance of the film lies in its ability to leave the viewer with weighty thoughts afterwards is to miss the joy and compassion of the film in real time. Not Marvel. Not even especially commercial. But, for what it is, flawless. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Like with his previous feature, COLUMBUS, Director Kogonada has fashioned an evocative tale about communication. Taking the form of a sci-fi film, AFTER YANG concerns a married couple, Jake (Colin Farrell) and Kyra (Jodi Turner-Smith), who have adopted a Chinese girl Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja). In this unspecified future, a family can employ a surrogate android sibling, here named Yang (Justin Min). Yang acts not only as an older brother, but as a tutor who gives Mika a richer understanding of her Chinese heritage. When Yang malfunctions, the parents scramble to repair him, during which time they are able to 'plug in' to his memory chip.

Kogonada (who also adapted the script from an Alexander Weinstein short story) isn't that interested in the hardware that makes up Yang, but, his inner "thoughts" - his very notion of existence (the science fiction elements are handled quite well). What's fascinating here is that this is truly a two-way interaction - the family is as tied emotionally to Yang as the robot is in its role as an adopted family member. Haley Lu Richardson plays Ada, another character who's questioning her own existential being.

AFTER YANG may seem like heavy going, but, Kogonada and the wonderful cast present the tale in a most simple, unaffected manner. Lessons aren't delivered, but experienced. Some of the most sublime moments are as simple as drinking a glass of water. The viewer takes from the movie what they bring to it. Kogonada leaves it up the audience to decide what Yang's very being represents -- and how humans will accept that autonomy.

This has to be one of THE slowest moving movies I've ever watched. Although it was a beautiful story and interesting it was painful to sit through. I actually had to watch it in several different segments at three different times just to get through it. Also it's very darkly filmed so be prepared to close all the shades in the room you're in.

We immediately see that we are in the future because everything has great style and space and nature, Colin Farrell is married to a beautiful and exotic black woman (who kind of treats him like dirt because he doesn't earn as much) and they have a Chinese daughter and a human looking android. Then the android breaks, leaving the family, but mostly the little girl, bereaved. It is up to Farrell's character to understand why it broke, untangle the complex rules of service and/or replacement in a corporate ruled world and also discover who their android actually was.

At no moment does the film hit you over the head with anything. Ideas are subtle, although not too much, seeing that I caught on to them. At its core the film examines deep concepts like the meaning and worth of one's life, the value of connection, but in a way that brings a lot to the discussion, yet not forcing an answer. It poses questions in the form of characters dealing with stuff and there is no definite closure, although they all reach some sort of higher understanding.

I would like to tell you that I loved the film, but it had its issues as well. One of them is that it was kind of slow. Everything was meticulously planned and beautifully shot, but consider that this is barely one hour and a half and felt a lot longer. Indeed, it is based on a short story so either the writer/director had to add a lot more to the story or instead focus on style and art form. It is a very good film and certainly one of the better I've seen in a while and I highly recommend it, but it might be advisable to be in a more contemplative or introspective mood when you try watching it.

If it's not your cup of tea, I can understand because the movie is slow despite only being about 1,5 hours, but to immediately give it a rating below 5 is honestly childish.

The story discusses so many important and philosophical questions and it does so in a very organized and beautiful way, with fantastic cinematography and solid acting.

With a complex story where dialogue is fewer than in most films, you need to make sure the viewer can easily understand what you're point is. I think this flaw is the reason that some people dislike it so much that they give a movie such a low score even though it is so well crafted and emotionally touching. This is in part because of Colin Farrell, who gives a bit of a vague and neutral performance, but also it's because of the general style of the film. The shots are slow and often silent or with sparse dialogue. However, the words are so intentional and accompanied by lots of visual info in order to make the message clear. So instead of a matter of "being boring" or "pointless", it might just be a matter of some people missing the point.

On a brighter note: fantastic acting by Justin Min (playing the AI 'sibling/companion' Yang). He perfectly walked the line between acting as though you're essentially a robot yet providing loads of micro-expressions to make you believe he is an AI that would pass the Turing test.

The movie contains a lot of topics: it's about grief, belonging, ethical and moral questions, relational problems, human consciousness vs AI, xenophobia/racism, cultural identity and more.

Therefore alone, this movie is worth the watch, especially for those who like to think about life and the human experience. With this many topics, a movie can easily become overly convoluted or messy, but the aesthetically pleasing shots combined with conscientiously written dialogue and script managed to stay clear.

It truely saddens me how much the point was missed by some reviews of people who obviously disliked the movie. However, I would advise them to watch a different genre. This movie isn't your run of the mill, adrenaline fueled scifi bots-with-guns movie. It's a soft, carefully detailed and slow exploration of touching themes for those who are open to the experience.