AFTER YANG

A good, if not necessarily a great movie, After Yang has you leaving the theatre with plenty of philosophical questions to ponder.

If nearly 80 minutes into After Yang you had said me I would be immensely moved by this tale of a family foraging through the memories of their suddenly defunct android, I wouldn't have believed it.

Up until that point the picture had been an intriguing but rather one-note exploration of philosophical ideas about companionship, grief and family bonds. While director Kogonada definitely has a keen eye for visual storytelling he mostly fails to channel the movie's atmosphere into an exciting narrative, with long stretches wherein not a lot happens and where characters appear endlessly stuck in the same melancholic mood.

But then, around the 80- minute mark, every idea After Yang - at times frustratingly tepidly- has touched upon crystallizes into a wonderfully heartfelt sequence that looks back at the lives android Yang has lived and unleashes a wealth of emotions upon the viewer, easily making up for the film's initial lack of connection.

It's not quite enough to elevate After Yang from a decent movie into a great one, but the picture does make you leave the theatre with a good feeling inside, and plenty of philosophical questions to boot.

release: 2021

director: Kogonada

starring: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja , Justin H. Min