Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
After premiering at Cannes and Sundance, celebrated Writer/Director Kogonada’s (Columbus) second feature AFTER YANG finally makes its debut in theatres. It takes place in the near future, where families live with sentient AI Android helpers and companions. When Yang (Justin H. Min from The Umbrella Academy), the AI helper for Jake (Colin Farrell), Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) and young Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja), malfunctions and breaks down, the family is distraught. Jake bought him “certified refurbished”, so he cannot just get him repaired quickly. When his attempts at fixing Yang uncover that he has been recording memories, it sets Jake off on an existential journey he did not expect.
AFTER YANG is a quiet, contemplative film that examines loss and grief, at the same time as it hones in on joy and humanity. The Science-Fiction elements are a mere conduit for Kogonada (adapting Alexander Weinstein’s short story) to be able to hop in and out of dreams and memories. There is some feeling hovering around the power of nostalgia in some instances, but it feels more like the kind of heady, introspective material that makes you rethink your own memories. The rhythmic, fever dream nature of the Film will be off-putting to some, and spiritually hypnotic to others. Fair warning to the naysayers though – you will miss out on some of the most majestic production design and incredibly expansive use of colour to hit the screen in a long time.
The entire Cast is magnificent, with Farrell adding another terrific, meditative performance to his on-going career renaissance, and Turner-Smith and Tjandrawidjaja bringing a plethora of emotion and beauty to every scene they appear in. Min is great in his small role, as is Haley Lu Richardson who plays the mysterious Ada. And while I will not give away the circumstances, AFTER YANG contains one of the greatest post-modern dance scenes of the past decade. Maybe of all time. Expect many delightful memes and gifs to appear online ahead.
Elevation Pictures release AFTER YANG in theatres March 11, 2022.
*Please exercise caution observing Covid-19 protocols if seeing this in-theatre*
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