A sci-fi drama about the relationship between people and robots.
In the future, Jake and his wife Kyra are bringing up their adopted daughter, Mika. Also part of their family is the robot boy Yang, who plays the role of Mika’s brother and friend. When Yang breaks down, Jake starts looking for ways to bring him back to life. During the process he discovers that Yang could experience feelings and had something similar to memory, recording important life moments in his system.
Kogonada’s touching drama is a reflection on human existence and memory against the background of the non-existence of the robot and his memory, which can be revealed to someone other than its owner. Yang’s memories prompt Jake to resist their absence in his own life, and his sorrow at the end of the robot’s life combines with his sorrow at the time he has spent without retaining any warm memories.
Kogonada’s look into the future focuses particularly on the nuances of interpersonal relationships between people and non-human agents, machines that have feelings enabling them to empathize. The robots cast light on humans’ imperfections and their ability to create crises in relationships, for instance through hatred or fear of «others.» Xenophobia threatens their peaceful coexistence and equality within human society.
Korean-American director Kogonada began his career by making video essays about films and studying the history of cinematography. His pseudonym comes from the name of the screen writer Kōgo Noda, who worked with the Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu, the subject of Kogonada’s doctoral dissertation. After Yang premiered at Cannes in 2021 and was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film will be shown in English with Russian subtitles.
After Yang
Director Kogonada
USA, 2021. 96 min. 16+