After Yang Review: Underwhelming Sci-Fi Drama Offers Little Heart [Sundance]
In his sophomore feature film, After Yang, writer-director Kogonada, working from a short story by Alexander Weinstein, explores the future and the role of artificial intelligence in it. Justin H. Min (The Umbrella Academy) gives an understated, nuanced performance as Yang, but the film never rises to meet the strength of his portrayal. After Yang has moments of beauty and a lovely core message, but it’s too slowly paced and detached from its own story to fully reach its potential.
Jake (Colin Farrell) and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) have relied on Yang (Min), a techno-sapien the couple bought to help teach their adopted daughter, Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja), about her Chinese heritage. After breaking down, the family must come to terms with life without him and address the very issues they’ve been sweeping under the rug for so long. Jake and Kyra wonder if they’ve relied too much on Yang over the years, while not spending enough time with Mika. As Jake works to fix Yang or decide to take him to the techno-sapien museum run by Cleo (Sarita Choudhury), he begins watching the stored memories Yang has acquired over the course of his life.
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After Yang never feels like a fully realized world. The biggest downside is that the audience experiences Yang’s life only after he’s gone. It’s a disservice to the character, especially considering his memories are only witnessed through Jake. What’s more, the conflict between Jake and Kyra is undercooked and their feelings toward having Yang around, as well as any potential attachments to him, are never truly expanded upon. The film certainly has something to say about adopting a child from
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