When their android helper Yang (Justin H. Min) stops working his family have to come to terms with what he meant to them. His father Jake (Colin Farrell) goes on a journey of discovery about who Yang was in his attempts to have him repaired whilst his mother Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) and sister Mika (Malae Emma Tjandrawidjaja) begin to mourn their loss. 

In the near future the idea of clones and “techno” helpers are a normal part of life. Yang  is an artificial intelligence that to any normal eye is a teenage boy and part of a family unit. His purpose within this household was to help raise his sister whilst also giving her a connection to her Chinese roots following her adoption. 

The brilliance of After Yang is in how subtly it presents its subject matter. The future the characters live in is tangibly different to ours but not because of a huge array of technological advancements on display but more because of a tonal shift to the pace of life. The film never demands any specific reaction from us but still elicits an emotional response. We are never in a race against the clock to save Yang or presented by a flood of emotion from the characters or forced to feel thanks to a soaring heart string pulling score. We are just presented a story where slowly but surely the characters are presented with the very real fact that Yang was as important a part of their family as any other person. The fact that he was a “thing” matters not. And not only that, did this “thing” love them back? 

There is a genuine sense of melancholy and grief as Jake learns more of Yang’s life in his journey to find a way to fix him. The sense of family, of love and of what it is to be human is very real and powerful throughout. 

Colin Farrell is superb throughout. His recent run of performances have really shown just how exceptional he can be. 

Whilst writer/director Kogonada has clearly got a superb sense of style and insight that I really have to see more of. The opening credits scene where the family compete in a dance competition is spectacular to watch and really gives a sense of the family and the future they live in. 

Wonderful.