After Yang

In what seems to be the near future, a married couple and their young daughter deal their "techno-sapien" android/nanny Yang ceasing to function. As the husband tries to get him (note, not "it") refurbished, he learns more about Yang's life, both with his family and the one before he met them. "Technos" like Yang are equipped with memory that allow them to record a few seconds each day, and in some of the film's finest moments, the husband gains access to these. It's touching to see what was notable to Yang, who is more human-like (or even Christ-like) than machine, and Kogonada explores what it means to be a conscious organism in a world where technology could possibly create consciousness.

Despite the premise, After Yang seems to deal more with death and the loss of a gentle person in one's life than it does with the traditional themes of robots in science fiction. It certainly doesn't pursue some of the more interesting angles, e.g. The privacy breach Yang represents. When the company "recycles" technos, you see, it has access to a massive amount of information about the family they were with. We see that Yang is warm and gentle, in direct contrast to specter of a high-tech Big Brother or the cool, emotionless tension we see in the parents, and it made me wonder whether it was possible to create organisms that are better than humans, and not the apocalyptic Terminator type devices seen elsewhere.

It's all a very interesting concept, but I'm not sure Kogonada did as much with it as he could have. He also moves this film along at too slow a pace, one bordering on pretentiousness. The wonderful dance sequence in the opening credits and Mitski's cover of Glide help breathe life into it, but not enough for me to truly love this film. Maybe more perspective from the little girl or mother, or maybe letting up on the brake to allow for more of development in the story would have done it for me. Worth seeing though.

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))

"There's no something without nothing."

When Yang - a lifelike, artificially intelligent android - abruptly stops functioning, a father's quest to repair him eventually becomes one of existential introspection and contemplating his own life, as it passes him by. After Yang is Kogonada's second feature after Columbus. I haven't seen Columbus but it's become a must see in the indie feature selection from the past few years. Foreign to his style and skills, I found his work to be masterful. Firstly, the script, based on a short story, is incredibly thought provoking. It plays heavy on the ethics of life and technology leaving us to wonder if an A. I. is worth saving. Filled to the brim with beautiful moments, everything is bittersweet and sentimental. One of the big aspects is memories. Kogonada writes and execute this memories much like how our mind process them. Little things repeat and change to bring out the correct portrayal. At first it feels like your mind processed the scene wrong but quickly you'll pick up on that. Another thing I loved is the camera placement throughout. He has the vision of what we should be looking at specifically, even if it's not the focus of the scene, and it all flows together nicely. The cinematography is stunning, popping with life and great production design. The score is also really beautiful.

Colin Farrell has a difficult character to play. The complexity of managing a different persona from actual growing feelings is hard to convey with what the film deals with. There's a few scenes he nails perfectly. Hayley Lu Richardson does well in her smaller role. We slowly learn who she is and how she fits into this story. Once we find out the full story, it's emotional and profound. Justin H. Min as Yang only has a few scenes but his presence is felt throughout. Most of his dialogue is poetic and adds so much to his character. The film is never too on the nose or explains everything to the audience. We're piecing details and thoughts together just as much as they are. This is a slow burn. Sometimes the pacing falls flat within scenes. As everything progresses, it's hard not to be mesmerized by the topics and story as a whole. I really want to read the short story now. Though the film may end on a note that doesn't work for everyone, I think it ends at the perfect moment. The last few scenes are a knock out. I'm really pleased with After Yang and want to rewatch it again. Earnest and profound, it'll be hard to forget.

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.

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.