Kogonada’s AFTER YANG is a moving, poignant film and my favorite kind of sci-fi. The movie plays out as a combination of EX MACHINA and MINARI, pondering both the existential status of AI (and, as a direct result, humans) and exploring complex familial relationships.
That being said AFTER YANG isn’t as riveting as either aforementioned A24 flicks- but that’s okay. It’s deeply thought-provoking, but mellow and slow-moving (luckily it clocks in at about an hour and a half, managing to avoid boring its audience).
AFTER YANG is also visually stunning, carefully folding in futuristic tech to maintain the suspension of disbelief but also is never too on the nose about it. This isn’t really BLACK MIRROR – it’s a hopeful world that doesn’t resent technology, and instead focuses on its own universe’s future.
AFTER YANG is available to stream on Showtime, but I’d recommend watching it in theaters if you have the opportunity and feel comfortable. I saw a screening of the movie presented by the Seattle Asian American Film Festival, and was glad I saw it on a big screen.
