- Director: Taika Waititi
- Screenplay: Taika Waititi, Dahvi Waller
- Based on: ‘Klara and the Sun‘ by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Producer: David Heyman, Garrett Basch, Taika Waititi
- Cast: Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne
- Cinematography: Mike Berlucchi
- Editing: Adam Gough, Tom Eagles
- Score: Michael Giacchino
- Genre: Dystopian science fiction
- Runtime: 116 minutes
Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, ‘Klara and the Sun‘ revolves around Klara (Jenna Ortega), an Artificial Friend created to be a companion for youths in their awkward, gawky teen years. She’s an outdated model, yearning to be bought as the store across the road exhibits fresher, trendier Artificial Friends, and if nobody buys her soon, she’ll be relegated to the scrapheap.
Luckily for Klara, Josie (Mia Tharia) instantly clicks with her despite her mother’s objections. They bond, becoming thick as thieves. Josie and her mum live in a house miles from anywhere; aside from Klara, she only has one true pal, Rick (Aran Murphy). In the future, kids can have their intelligence enhanced through a process called ‘lifting’. Josie is one of the ‘lifted’, isolating her even further.
Right from the off, the kookiness levels are off the charts. I found it irritating. The tone grates, almost never maturing throughout a prolonged runtime save for an all-too-quick exploration of humankind choosing robotic replacements over the real thing. For a film not directly marketed towards children, it’s far too silly. Klara’s belief that the sun is some kind of all-powerful sentient being, capable of granting her wishes, gets old quick. It’s as if she’s been programmed with a toddler-aged mindset.
Fortunately, there’s flashes of magic. Michael Giacchino’s score is pleasant, the extensive cornfields surrounding Josie’s home are picturesque and for a movie musing on sunlight, the cinematography is appropriately bright. I appreciate Ortega playing against type. The foundations of her career have been built on moody, gothic young women (Wednesday Addams, Astrid Deetz in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘). Here, she’s all wide-eyed and goofy-grinned, doing so very well. Amy Adams, as Josie’s mother, also has the chance to challenge audience expectations with a snotty, stuck-up attitude.
‘Klara and the Sun‘ doesn’t leave its mark and outstays its welcome. If there’s anything obsolete, it’s this film and its annoying quirkiness.
My rating: 5 / 10
