In Kogonada’s directorial debut, “Columbus,” he explored the “modernism of the soul,” through the architecture of Columbus, Indiana, and the unique connection between two strangers seeing each other, and themselves, against the backdrop of the environments they share. In his second feature film, “After Yang,” Kogonada once again takes up the question of the soul and its existence in modern, even postmodern, times. But while “Columbus” was an exploration of the soul in a space, “After Yang” takes up the question of the soul throughout time.
Kogonada adapted “After Yang” from the short story "Saying Goodbye to Yang" from the book “Children of the New World” by Alexander Weinstein, and the film takes place in a near future that looks a bit different, but functions in the same way. This sleekly modern world is informed by East Asian aesthetics, food and culture, and the advanced technologies are familiar: FaceTime, self-driving cars, video games, animated photo snippets. It is a world so close we might reach out touch it, and with the warm, comfortable production design by Alexandra Schaller and gauzy cinematography by Benjamin Loeb, Kogonada makes the film an almost tactile experience.
Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith play Jake and Kyra, the parents of young daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja), adopted from China. There’s another very important member of their family, Yang (Justin H. Min), a lifelike android powered by artificial intelligence. Jake and Kyra purchased Yang (a refurbished model) as a sibling companion for Mika, to feel connected to her Chinese heritage, and Yang has served as a gentle, knowledgeable, loyal and loving brother, as well as a trusted guide through her culture, and to help Mika understand that difference is what makes something special.
