After Yang

Director Kogonada creates a quiet, beautifully shot, thoughtfully acted film that explores humanity, nature, and relationships. The Columbus filmmaker expands his on-screen ensemble in After Yang to more than two principal characters but still keeps the film tightly focused on the core family of four and a few supporting characters. They're all cleverly shown in the virtual "family of four" dance competition sequence early in the film, a scene that seems like a shortcut to contextualizing the film as set in the future (the gauzy wardrobes, auto-piloted vehicles, and virtual assistants also do the trick). The strong supporting cast features a stellar group of actors, including Clifton Collins Jr. as a neighbor whose daughters are clones, Sarita Choudhury as a museum curator with a specialty in techno-sapiens, Haley Lu Richardson (who was also fabulous in Columbus) as a barista who knew Yang, and Ritchie Coster as a conspiracy theorist mechanic.

Turner-Smith and young Tjandrawidjaja are both notable, particularly little Mika, who's unmoored without her ge ge. But the movie ultimately belongs to Farrell and Min, whose exchanges about tea and film and coming of age are intimate and philosophical. These discussions truly are reminiscent of a father and a young adult son. Jake's quest to understand Yang's memories is bittersweet. At a certain point, it's clear that this is a recovery mission, not a rescue, although all the characters display varying degrees of hope. Whatever happens, the story -- like many featuring androids -- delves into what makes a being human. Yang, it turns out, like Walt Whitman, contains multitudes -- and the movie, in turn, is layered and thought-provoking.