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The sci-fi genre has the endless potential of exploring the human condition. While it’s populated with cyborgs, aliens and mecha, very few movies manage to deliver heartfelt stories without putting the wonders of technology on full display. After Yang, however, is one of the rare films to achieve that feat. Starring Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min and Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, the film is director Kogonada’s second feature that forays into the genre with an intimate story about what it means to be human.
After Yang is set in a futuristic society where techno-sapiens (humanoids who look and talk exactly like humans) exist and one can buy memories, even family members and more. The plot revolves around a family of four – Jake (Colin Farrell) a tea boutique owner, his wife Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith), their adopted daughter Mika (debut actress Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) and a “technosapien” named Yang who they bring into the family as an older brother for Mika. His main function is to act as a caretaker and a cultural guide so that Mika can learn more about her Asian heritage. Their sweet familial bond is based on Yang’s A.I and knowledge of Chinese culture. It is through this curious kind of relationship that the film ponders on some questions about life, death and everything in between.
Kongonada directs a fascinating meditation on loss and familial bonds that will move you to tears.
After Yang doesn’t give us a manual for the workings of its futuristic society and instead introduces new concepts as the story progresses. It opens with a dance sequence before Yang malfunctions, if you will. Mika is distraught as her parents rush to find a solution. We learn that getting a replacement is difficult and the shop that made Yang has shut down. Mika’s first brush conscious brush with death is the loss of her sibling who she lovingly calls “Gege” Chinese for “older brother”. Jake is tasked with finding a technician t0 repair Yang while Kyra is at work. His solitary mission gives him a lot of time to reflect. Colin Farrell whose other movie, The Batman also releases on March 4, plays Jake like the everyman and manages to draw viewers in with very few dialogues. What he accomplishes in quiet reflective moments is pure brilliance. As it gets harder for Jake to fix Yang, the family’s grieving process becomes more pronounced. Watching them cope is heartbreaking. Nothing too cathartic or loud happens but the tragedy comes across plain as day.
While all of that sounds really dark, After Yang is a soothing watch and you just have to take my word for it. The serene, meditative soundtrack had me transcending while the film’s characters confronted their identities and humanity. It ebbs and flows around the plot points that go from chronicling the family’s daily lives and Yang’s memories. But it’s deceptively calming. After Yang has a way of letting you sit still with its characters and slowly unveiling a larger narrative that will make you cry. In one sequence, Jake thinks back to a conversation he has with Yang about his love for tea almost suggesting that he intends to pass on the family business to him. It blurs the line between human and A.I. Before you can wrap your head around that, the waterworks will begin, that much is a guarantee. And it’s going to be the good kind.
Verdict.
I don’t fully understand how, but Colin Farrell, artificial intelligence and a montage of home videos had me shedding tears for majority for the film’s runtime. After Yang is by far the most effectively emotional contemplation on the human condition I have ever witnessed in a sci-fi movie. Kogonada’s film defies categorisation. There is no subgenre for the emotion the film evokes. But it is something innately human and undeniably beautiful.
After Yang premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and releases on HBO Max on March 4.
Cover image: Sundance Film Festival
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