After Yang Review
9/10
Sci-Fi as a genre often falls into two extreme categories: the cerebral kind meant to provoke intellectual stimulation and the action-focused adventure tales that Star Wars popularized in the 70s. Both of these approaches can feel disconnected in distinct ways. The highbrow kind tends to keep the characters and their emotions at a distance. This can still be engaging and thought-provoking but can easily fall into the trap of being dull when the ideas are grand but the storytelling around them is a dud. The Johnny Depp film Transcendence is an example of this issue. It has ambitious themes, but the story is about as engaging as a lecture on brick maintenance.
The action-heavy kind of Sci-Fi can also feel disconnected. Films of that variety focus so much on action that they forget to have a human narrative with actual people and emotions. Or they take the modern Star Wars trilogy approach of leaning so far into sentimentality and nostalgia that they become a horrific unintentional parody of themselves. After Yang does not fall into either of those camps. Because of that, it has none of the potential issues that occupy those areas. There are plenty of Sci-Fi films that tug at the heartstrings. There are not many I would classify as soulful. After Yang is a rare exception.
It has a more spiritual approach to the genre. One that puts less emphasis on a fast-paced narrative and more on introspection. The story is simple on the surface. When a young girl’s android companion Yang stops working, her father Jake tries to figure out what’s wrong with him so Yang can be repaired. The story is understated and thoughtful. We are shown glimpses of the characters’ interwoven lives, but they are often distant from each other and seen through a futuristic Zoom-like video chatting system that appears to be implanted in their brains.
Sci-Fi does not need to be grand in scope and vision. We have become so fixated on special effects to the point where they are no longer special. They are just a vague blur of colors. Recognition and awards for the best special effects tend to be given to films with an overwhelming quantity of effects. Whichever films have the most CGI are the winners. There is nothing inherently wrong with computer effects. There have been countless great films that have benefited from them. They are a tool like any other in filmmaking. We forget about the smaller-scale films whose effects stand out more because they exist in a more realistic and grounded world.
Alex Garland’s film Ex-Machina for example has more impressive special effects to me than most big-budget blockbusters. After Yang falls into a similar category. There is an intimacy to the story that makes it special. Yang, played with fantastic nuance by Justin H. Min is an android, but he has a yearning to connect with people. There are more scenes of him bonding with the family’s daughter Mika, played with sincerity by Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, than the parents themselves. It is quite clear how close Mika is to Yang. She sees him not as an android bought to be her artificial sibling, but as her real brother. Yang’s shutdown is catastrophic to the family, but through their healing process, they are brought closer together.
Grief is the emotional focus of the story. When Yang stops functioning, the family doesn’t know what to do. The father Jake, a wonderful performance by Colin Farrell, is tortured by the possibility of losing such an important part of the family. His wife Kyra tries to gently nudge him into deciding on what to do with Yang. She can tell he is stuck in a rut and does not know how to move forward. Jodie Turner-Smith plays Kyra, and she brings immeasurable heart to the character. In a typical Hollywood film, there would be multiple scenes of her and Jake yelling at each other and falling out. Here, she is supportive and sympathetic.
Another standout performance I want to single out is Haley Lu Richardson as Ada. It’s a sure sign of an exceptional talent when an actor’s presence is felt throughout a film, even when they aren’t on screen. I remember her being wonderful in Kogonada’s previous film Columbus. Ada has a connection to Yang that forms one of the most impactful moments of the film.
The pacing of the film slackens a tad in these early stages as Jake tries to put off fixing Yang as long as possible. The film comes into its own once he is hooked up to Yang’s memories. There is subtle worldbuilding throughout in a way that never beats us over the head with exposition. This is a world where Androids are so common that they can be bought second-hand. We are never explicitly told where the film is set. Visually it appears to be set somewhere in Asia, but with an interesting mixture of diverse ethnicities. The film never makes any kind of statement about this; it just shows a seamless cohabitation of many different kinds of people.
The film’s director Kogonada has a background in making video essays analyzing filmmaking techniques. He has done great work for Criterion and the BFI, among others. His past essays have emphasized a filmmaker’s aesthetic consistencies. This carries over to his films. There is a particular symmetry to the production design in his work. His debut feature Columbus showed this by analyzing the significance of architecture. The design of After Yang feels purposeful. It doesn’t have meaningless clutter and nonsensical Sci-Fi toys. The place the characters live in looks much like ours today, only enhanced by the progression of technology.
It’s strange to think that After Yang and The Batman were released around the same time. Both have Colin Farrell, but they could not be more different. His career has gone from bland Hollywood pretty boy to one of the most eclectic actors around. He is relatively subdued as Jake, a sharp contrast to his bombastic and delightful version of The Penguin. His moments with Mika and Kyra are genuine and show a deep sense of loss. They are all struggling with how to progress in their lives. They all know that this is a sign they have to cope with the loss of Yang and not sink into despair.
The core is the centerpiece of the film’s power. They aren’t manipulative tear-jerking moments. Instead, we are treated to a contemplative look at a family trying to pick up the pieces after a devasting loss. The glimpses of Yang’s memories of them and his past reveal a rich inner life. He has drifted from home to home, evolving and enriching his complex mind. This is not a cynical look at androids like many other films. It is a hopeful and heartfelt story. One we could certainly learn a lot from if we have the patience to give it a chance.
