"After Yang" -- Movie Review

 

Recently at Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of the new science fiction drama “After Yang”, starring Colin Farrell. 

Synopsis

In the future, when a family’s android breaks down, can they get it fixed in order to appease their daughter?

Story

Jake (Farrell) finds himself incredibly dependent on Yang (Justin H. Min) – as does the rest of his family.  In fact, Jake and his wife Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) almost consider Yang to be a member of their family – the key word here is almost because Yang is not actually human.  In point of fact, Yang is an android which they bought a few years ago in order to be a companion for their adopted daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja).  Mika is of Chinese descent so Jake and Kyra purchased Yang because he was programed to have a considerable amount of Chinese heritage and cultural information which he would impart to Mika over time. 

Eventually, Yang does what all things do:  he breaks down.  Jake’s mission now is to get Yang fixed.  But can he?  Is it really all that simple?  Yang is still under warranty, but trying to get either the manufacturer or the distributor to adhere to that warranty is another matter altogether.  Some say that the warranty does not apply here because the part that has broken down on Yang is not covered by the warranty.  Other sellers no longer exist over time, so it becomes almost impossible to have that warranty enforced.  Now, it becomes an economic matter for Jake:  should he pay to have a part fixed although it is not covered by warranty or merely buy another android? 

It's a simple question.  Unfortunately, as with many simple questions, it does not have an easy answer.  This is because Mika has become very attached to Yang – she almost sees him as a big brother who has not only taught her but protected her.  What complicates matters is that along the way, Jake discovers that Yang has collected some extremely personal matters stored in his internal memory.  What would happen if this information was leaked and private family issues suddenly became public?  Certainly, Jake could have someone on the black market take care of matters, but is there a greater good to be served here by having society learn about how Yang works?   

Review

“After Yang” is an incredibly ambitious effort by Kogonada, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay, which is based on the short story, "Saying Goodbye to Yang".  Where it ultimately disappoints is in the fact that it is aimed more for the head than towards the heart.  It is an exploration of existential philosophy when it could have been more of an examination of family life and the importance of good parenting – or perhaps more to the point, the cost of absentee parenting when the focus is in career rather than raising a child.  Had the humanity been more on display here, it would come closer to hitting the bullseye. 

Taking many twists and turns in the plot, “After Yang” can be something of a challenge to follow – not necessarily because of its complexity, but because it’s a bit trippy.  This is one of those movies that some will say is better viewed while high; others might argue that it’s better not viewed at all.  It tries to address too many topics all at once while maintaining its science-fiction credibility and just winds up feeling all over the place without leaving terribly much for the viewer to hang onto insofar as holding interest in either the story or its characters.  Despite a good cast, the experience and the ending will leave you a bit flat. 

Following the screening, there was an interview with the director.  He said he had been recommended several short stories to adapt into a film and this was one of them.  When he read it, he envisioned the movie version as a science fiction story along the lines of “The Matrix”.  To him, it was a family story about catching up to feelings of grief following the loss of someone integral to their family – a deep sense of loss as a result of the robot’s malfunction.  Since he is of Korean origin, he also found interesting the aspect of the robot designed to be Asian.  He wanted to make a film that explored questions of what it means to be Asian and what is people’s perception of Asians.