AFTER YANG

US, 2021, 96 minutes, Colour.

Colin Farrell, Jodi Turner-Smith, Malia Emma Tjandrawidjajaj, Sarita Choudhury, Clifton Collins Jr, Haley Lu Richardson.

Directed by Kogonada.

A quiet, very quiet, science-fiction or futuristic fantasy. An invitation to enter and explore a new era of Artificial Intelligence.

Who or what is Yang? We first meet Yang with his family, father and mother, mixed race, and the little daughter with visible Chinese ancestry. And Yang seems also Chinese. He is a young man, seems part of the family, pleasant and genial, at meals, happily conversing – with the quiet touch of inherited Chinese wisdom – a wonderful companion for the daughter, something of a tutor, something of a friend, to encourage her with her Oriental heritage.

While this future seems to be a future we recognise, we soon see many technological differences. And this is especially the case when we realise that Yang is a very sophisticated example of robotics, development of androids, the creation of a well-balanced person who resembles a human almost perfectly. But, the title indicates that there might be a crisis, Yang no longer there, and what happens after Yang.

For the little daughter, she is almost inconsolable, despite the efforts of her parents to reassure her.

The mother, a successful businesswoman, seems loving but somewhat detached, occupied with her work, having to go away from home.

The father, is devoted, actually purchased Yang not from the accepted company which produces such androids but, one might say, secondhand (later learning a rather longer history of Yang’s presence). The main part of the action is the father trying to get Yang repaired, going to the company which will not help, trying some means prohibited by legislation, visiting the museum where a curator with specialist interests does her best to restore Yang – although, what is most valuable is the disc with his memories, visible when someone looks at them wearing specialist spectacles, something the father does often, with wistfulness.

And, all the while, there are pleasing flashbacks to Yang, to his friendship with the young woman and the father tracking her down, getting explanations.

Not exactly the material of fast-paced or action-packed pre-apocalyptic sagas. Rather, a gentle, if urgent, story, a family story, of loyalties and hopes.

The father is played by Colin Farrell, his Irish accent and all. His wife is played by Jodi Turner-Smith, the daughter by Malia Emma Tjandrawidjaja and the young girl is played by Hayley Lu Richardson.

1. The title? The presence and character again? His absence? The family and having to cope?
2. The future, differences from our present, similarities? Homes, workplaces, shops? The museums? The musical score?
3. Science-fiction, science fantasy? Not the expected action approach? Genial and gentle?
4. The development of AI, robotics and androids, the android practically human? In manner, knowledge, conversation, communication?
5. The portrait of the family, the father earnest, his wife and her work, mixed race, the adopted daughter, her Oriental background, the purchase of Yang, his presence, pleasant on the family, conversation, meals? With the daughter, friend, tutor, encouraging her heritage?
6. Yang and the breakdown, his body, slumped, the danger for decay? The father having to act and resolve the situation? The background of the purchase, secondhand, discovering more about the previous owners, the visit and the information, only a week, and the previous purchase, the visit to the old lady, the story of Yang in the past?
7. The father going to the repair man, the legislation forbidding the repair? The power of the company and preventing any other companies developing techniques?
8. Going to the museum, the curator, interest, help and support, the possibilities for restoration, Yang and his physical framework, for the museum, the other exhibits? But the importance of his memories? The father and the collaboration with the curator?
9. The importance of the range of flashbacks, the memories of Yang and literally bringing him back to life?
10. The father, at home, his daughter upset, her tantrums, trying to calm her down, support? Some tension between the father and mother, her busy with her work, absences, communications, taking the daughter to school, the principal, the daughter and the tantrum and the anger?
11. Neighbours, their experience with the androids? The father and his reserve with the neighbours?
12. The importance of the memories, their being retained, wearing the spectacles, the father and his delight in watching, the mother, the curator?
13. The sadness of the absence of Yang, the concern about his being reconstructed? Not able? How to be remembered, bones and framework in the museum? His memories?