'After Yang' Review: Kogonada drama is slow yet touching with humanity in focus
Science-fiction dramas that revolve around family have a very unique effect as they introduce us to unknown scenarios and worlds but keep the familiarity of familial relations in sight making for satisfying watches and Showtime's movie 'After Yang' is one fine example.
'After Yang' set in a timeline that is highly technologically developed sees the population using androids as caretakers for their family and kids. But when one family's robot unexpectedly shuts down, a father and daughter will do their best to save him and along the way discover hidden feelings about their family as well. Acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Kogonada has helmed the film so it's fair to say viewers had high hopes. So read on to know what happens and our thoughts on the sci-fi drama.
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The movie revolves around a family of three Jake (Colin Farrell), his wife Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) and their adopted Chinese daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) and their techno-sapien robot Yang (Justin H Min) who is almost the fourth member of the family as he plays an older sibling and sometimes parental role to Mika. But the family's usual life is disrupted when Yang suddenly goes unresponsive. The journey to revive him forms the crux of the movie.
Kogonada's movie sets a serene scene that is almost meditative with its glass structures, tranquility, and soft demeanor of the characters. Colin Farrell gives the best performance of the lot as his character who is quite stoic slowly finds himself regaining his humanity that seems buried due to his distance from his family. Justin H Min does a good job as the patient and understanding robot who acts as brother and babysitter and has performed well in the limited capacity of his role. While the movie may be a bit slow taking its time to unravel Yang's past and memories, it does a good job showcasing the aspects of humanness and what it means to a be person and some extent a robot as well. Mika is the most concerned about Yang's well being and rightly so as he is the one who spends the most time with her and Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja gives a very endearing performance.
At the core of it, the movie questions what it means to be human and blurs the line between reality and technology. Showcasing plenty of heartwarming, sweet, and silly moments, 'After Yang' is a solid family watch. With great performances around and a thought-provoking mystery as well, the Showtime watch is immersive, touching one that we recommend tuning into to tune out the high-paced world we live in.
'After Yang' is available to watch in theatres and to stream on Showtime.