In 2019, director Taika Waititi received an Oscar nomination for Jojo Rabbit, a film in which he deftly balanced his trademark silly humour with the cruel actions of the Nazi regime to create a satire that packed a powerful punch. In his latest film, however, elements of light and dark battle for dominance and ultimately fall flat with a plot that feels scattered and unfinished.
The film in question, Klara and the Sun, is an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel of the same name. Set in a dystopian future, it tells the story of Klara (Jenna Ortega), the “artificial friend”, who is bought by a wealthy mother, Chrissie (Amy Adams), as a companion for her lonely and ailing daughter Josie (Mia Tharia). Klara is an old model, an outdated system criticised for its over-the-top empathy and childlike nature, but Josie finds within her a true friend and ally in the realm of her controlling mother.
The first half of the film explores some truly interesting ideas around the coexistence of artificial intelligence and humanity. There are not-so-subtle references to a dark history of World War Three and (gasp!) the Internet, which preceded a future where lifelike robots provide the companionship to humans that they can’t find within each other. This is something that Klara seeks out, and in her quest to find out what love feels like, there are some truly beautiful moments of friendship between girl and robot.
We also learn that Josie is “lifted”, a term in this universe used to refer to the genetically-altered children of the wealthy class. But the procedure is dangerous, and Josie’s health is rapidly deteriorating. Chrissie can’t handle the pain of potentially losing a second daughter (it’s unclear how, but we are told her eldest died some years before) and seeks to use Klara’s technology to replace her daughter after she dies. In the process, she entirely neglects the living, human daughter in front of her.
The book deals with some incredibly heavy themes, with Ishiguro describing his own work as “bleak”. Plot points about artificial intelligence and environment-destroying technology should feel achingly current, and in some ways the film does present a hopeful alternative future where we can coexist with the technology we so fear. But in the film, this darkness and complexity is constantly undercut by Waititi’s goofy humour in comedic moments that occasionally land but overwhelmingly have the tendency to disrupt the narrative flow.
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Plot strands are dangled in front of us then removed entirely: the (arguably unforgivable) actions of Josie’s mother are explained away as grief-induced madness, Josie’s fate remains unclear and mother-daughter tensions are barely resolved before they just disappear. Josie’s love interest is the boy-next-door Rick (Aran Murphy, son of Cillian), who all but vanishes for long periods of the runtime despite being a thoroughly interesting character, demonstrating how a normal, non-“lifted” child might find their place in this world.
Ortega is fantastic as Klara, her doll-like features and wide eyes lending themselves perfectly to her portrayal of the naïve and innocent robot experiencing life for the first time. However, moments of slapstick (Klara falling down the stairs or running around the cornfields like a scarecrow) occasionally turn her into more of a caricature than she should be. Adams and Tharia are both great in the strained mother-daughter dynamic, but a lacking script means that we never truly get to see them shine. Supporting performances (practically glorified cameos) from Natasha Lyonne, Steve Buscemi and Rachel House are mostly there for comedic effect, their characters simply feeling undercooked and peripheral.
Visually, the film deserves to be seen on the big screen. Klara worships the sun, and its presence is truly felt in every golden, light-drenched frame of this film. The set design is magical and whimsical yet still feels grounded in reality, allowing us to experience this brave new world through the eyes of a robot. However, none of this visual beauty is enough to redeem the film entirely.
Klara’s optimism and naïveté can be a little exhausting and overly saccharine, but if you stick with it, you might just find yourself moved at the end. Ultimately, however, some topics are just too heavy to be portrayed through whimsy.
★★★
In cinemas from October 23 / Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy / Dir: Taika Waititi / Columbia Pictures / 12A
