Movie Review After Yang (2022)
After Youth, 2022
Written and edited by Kogonada.
Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Man Emma Tyndravaza and Haley Lou Richardson.
Summary:
In the near future, a family ponders love, relationships and loss when their AI assistant suddenly fails.
Writer-director Kogonada has been modestly expanding his cinematic horizons since his debut Columbus in this underrated (ruling) sci-fi drama based on Alexander Weinstein's short story Young Farewell. While the genre is flooded with films about the "humanity" of prosthetics, Young finds a truly unique niche in his treatment of the subject.
In the advanced but near-future, Jack (Colin Farrell), his wife Kira (Jodie Turner-Smith) and their adopted Chinese daughter Mika (Malia Emma Tajdrawijaza) live with "Techno-Sap" Yang (Justin H. Min). That's right, it's a humanoid robot that Jake and Kira bought to teach Mika about her heritage.
However, disaster strikes when Yang suddenly stops working, and Jack's efforts to fix the robot reveal that Yang has been logging small "memories" against the protocol every day. As Jack searches Yang's memories to understand the nature of his dead family member, he discovers a truth he never could have imagined.
What immediately separates Kogonada's film from its science-fiction counterparts is how impatient it is with the actual reality of the future. The film certainly has world-building, but you wouldn't expect a spectacular view of a bright futuristic skyline because, perhaps driven by budget considerations, it's one of the smallest films in the genre.
Sure, from time to time we see gorgeous backdrops and car interiors driving through a beautiful fluorescent tunnel, but most of the future is idealistic and sentimental. For example, Jack runs a tea shop and expresses his frustration that none of his customers sell "tea crystals". It also suggests that society is biased against clones.
A family drama primarily centered around the story of a forensic detective, Jack digs into his vast library of video games with split second recordings/memories in an attempt to understand the robot's interactions with the world. That is, can it express true feelings and independent thoughts?
It's not really a spoiler to say that the parts Jake often witnesses have no context, and that he and the audience don't fully realize Yang's "existence" until much later in the story. However, it is clear from the start that the recurring presence of a young woman (Haley Lou Richardson) in Young's memories will be the key to understanding the contents of his digital mind.
If most of the film, in which Jake is dragged through a video store, looks clinical, Kogonada is smart enough to connect most of the images with emotional concepts that are very close to human. Looking at these memories of love, family, loss, etc., we are forced to examine why robots choose to preserve them and the boundaries between human emotional processes and the robot's "realistic" capture of unknown space.
The gap between memory and recording is cleverly depicted in a montage of characters interacting with Young, whose actual memories contrast with Young's recording. Perhaps this is a cryptic way for a machine to explore the speculative aspects of human life, but Kogonada balances the sketch with poignancy by focusing Jake's investigation on the real love between him and his son Yang (his wife, not so much).
More complex ideas in a film are almost always supported by the efforts of the actors. Colin Farrell, who has been on a winning streak in recent years, gives a less restrained performance than many would expect from the Irish actor, but still moves. However, in many ways, the heart and soul of the film is Malaya Emma Tiandraviaza, who is devastated by the loss of Young's younger sister Mika.
Mika relied on Yang, a database full of information about Chinese culture, as a reference for his sources. As an adopted daughter, Yang helped her figure out who she is, and it's clear she doesn't want to say goodbye. Tjandrawidjaja is just a cute and sad girl, and her sweet interaction with Pharrell is especially touching. If one role seems unhappily protected here, it's undoubtedly mother Kira, played by the excellent Jodie Turner-Smith, who has little to do but advise the family to leave Young.
Anyone who has seen Columbus will be amazed, this is another technically pure gift from the director, with wonderfully detailed moments and moment-by-moment cuts. In the film's opening title sequence, which includes footage of an online dance competition where Jack, Kira, Mika, and Yang compete, Kogonada presents an unusual example of acting. Along with 30,000 other families on the internet.
The dance routine between the different families, which constantly breaks the rhythm, is absolutely disgusting; If it's fun I'll go right back and watch it again. For sound, composer Asuka Matsumiya provides a haunting score of gentle piano pieces and violin waves that add to the emotional power of the story.
While it's easy to present this as a loss drama rather than a science fiction film about the future of technology, Yang makes up for it with originality and insight, the deeply moving and often startling character studies that permeate the genre. Science fiction has long considered the "humanity" of robotic creatures, but Kagonada's inventive and acclaimed family drama rarely does.
The Flash Legends Rating - Movie: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Sean Munro - Follow me on Twitter for more movies.
