Direction: Kogonada
Country: USA
After Yang is the sophomore feature by South Korean director Kogonada, who presents us with another sensitive work after a tender, realistic debut with Columbus (2017). Yet, what he proposes this time is a sweet sci-fi drama film set in a mixed-race future populated by humans, techno-sapiens and clones. The filmmaker wrote the screenplay based on Alexander Weinstein’s short story Saying Goodbye to Yang, which tells the story of a family of three that mourns the loss of a certified refurbished robot. You can think of a somnambulistic intersection of elements and moods from Spike Jonze’s Her (2013), Alex Garland’s Ex-Machina (2014) and Maria Schrader's I’m Your Man (2021).
Exploring relationships, both human and non-human, the film fabricates disconsolate moments with a modest warmth, following a concept that, even posing some questions about human vulnerability and machine memorabilia, doesn’t really go further in its thematic exploration. Both the unfocused direction and unvaried tone of the film make it a drowsy experience, which, failing to be thought-provoking, is unlikely to lodge in your memory.
The idea is not totally unthinkable considering the technology-centered world we live in. However, this undercooked story never reached the beauty, or even the simplicity, of the images captured. Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith are simultaneously restrained and practical in their performances, with the film raising some concerns about the lack of a twist or an emotional boost.
