Review: After Yang

Kogonada's After Yang is a beautiful and deeply emotional film studying family, identity, and one's purpose. Kogonada's picture is a meditative experience that is both breathtaking and richly rewarding. Actors Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, and Haley Lu Richardson fill the screen with awe. I loved it. 5-stars.

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What the caterpillar calls "the end" the rest of the world calls a butterfly.

Actors Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja and Justin H. Min

The video-essay-turned-filmmaker, Kogonada, has returned to the director's chair for his second feature film. Back in 2017, Kogonada's feature film debut, Columbus, made it to the big screen. The Indiana-set romance of Columbus struck a chord with many viewers, including me. Kogonada continues his patient storytelling with After Yang, as we follow an interracial couple, Jake (a terrific Farrell) and Kyra (a strong Turner-Smith), their adoptive daughter Mika (a wonderful Tjandrawidjaja), and their robotic son Yang (a powerful Min). After Yang covers many topics and themes throughout the movie. The ones that stuck with me the most were family, adoption, and finding one's identity. Here, we see a mixed heritage family front and center: Jake is white, Kyra is Black, and Mika is Chinese. I, myself, am a part of a mixed heritage family. Three of my siblings (Sergey, Lingli, and Tatiana) are adopted and are from the countries of Russia, China, and Colombia.

Kogonada's picture of what it means to be family is beautiful, powerful, and fully alive. It's also a low-key science fiction film where most of the technology feels largely invisible. In addition, Kogonada explores discovering one's identity and purpose in life. In this case, Yang and what it means to be Asian American. Because Yang is an android, he is struggling with truly feeling authentic within his own identity and skin. Does he count as Chinese? At one point in the film, Yang asks Kyra this exact question. Kogonada does not answer all of these questions. Instead, he lays down the groundwork for viewers to analyze within themselves. Jake and Kyra have purchased Yang from a company called Brothers & Sisters Incorporated. Their reasoning behind this was so that Mika could have a sibling / companion digitally wired to feed her knowledge about her cultural heritage.

Actor Justin H. Min

Yet, one evening after the family's virtual dance-off, Yang unexpectedly breaks down. As Mika is left disheartened, Jake decides to find a way to repair and fix Yang. Kogonada adapted this movie from author Alexander Weinstein's 2016 short story Saying Goodbye to Yang. After Yang grapples with heavy topics of love, connection, and loss. Yet, Kogonada gently sprinkles in these weighty themes with such clarity and craftsmanship. There is also a poignant subplot that deals with Yang's secret love interest named Ada (a superb Richardson). But that is as far as I will go with that subplot. After Yang reevaluates what it means to be human and what it means to be alive. The tender near-futuristic setting of After Yang will fill your heart with awe. Grounded in visual splendor through breathtaking cinematography (Benjamin Loeb), Kogonada's film is one you don't want to miss.

Furthermore, After Yang's contemporary production design (Alexandra Schaller) is lively and colorful throughout. In addition to Kogonada writing and directing After Yang, he also edited this picture. There's a sympathetic touch over-layered scene after scene, and there was also a montage sequence of Yang's memories that left me in pieces. There is so much to unpack with After Yang that it already has me ready to proceed with multiple viewings and analyzations. After Yang might look like a small film from a distance, but Kogonada's movie packs a powerful message waiting to be opened. There is still a lot of 2022 left — as for now — After Yang is my favorite film I have watched this year. This gift of a movie is waiting for you to watch. So, let this meditative experience open your mind, body, and soul.

Actor Colin Farrell

After Yang is rated PG (Parental Guidance) Language | Some Thematic Elements.

After Yang had its world premiere last July at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

See it in theaters or stream it on Showtime.

Directed by Kogonada

Starring Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Haley Lu Richardson, and Sarita Choudhury.