Kogonada’s “After Yang”

After Yang (2021)

Bladerunner by way of Yasujirō Ozu

Beautiful, gentle science fiction drama from A24 with its full focus on people, family and life. The day I watched this I had news of the passing of a dear friend and the timing for this film to arrive was perfect. This is why I love movies that leave space to breath and allow the viewer to think; they have an enormous capacity to help us learn and heal.

Based on the short story "Saying Goodbye to Yang" by Alexander Weinstein (no relation), it tells the story of Jake(Colin Farrell), Kyra(Jodie Turner-Smith), their adopted daughter Mika(Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) and her synthetic sibling, Yang(Justin H. Min). Asking questions around the meaning of “being alive”, cultural heritage and family, it hums along at a slow pace, zen-like as the story develops like an opening flower, each petal inscribed with another question that furthers understanding.