Quick Synopsis: In a near-future world, an empathetic artificial friend named Klara tries to understand human emotions and help the sick teenager she’s been bought to accompany.
This wasn’t on my list to watch. My local cinema didn’t play any trailers for it or display any posters. That, combined with its Rotten Tomatoes score of 24% and Metacritic score of 30 (both at the time of writing), made me think it wouldn’t be shown at my cinema. And if it was, I wouldn’t be in a rush to see it. I did see it (obviously, otherwise this review would have been MUCH harder to write), but only because I was already down the cinema to see three other films. All three turned out to be really good, with one (Wildwood) among the best films I’ve seen in years. So Klara And The Sun (or KATS) not only had to overcome my low expectations, but was also competing against some pretty high standards. This could be a train wreck.
It’s not. In fact, it’s rather good. It’s charming, but with a dark streak running underneath everything. It feels like a Diablo Cody movie, but slightly less pretentious. I don’t understand the hatred for it. Is it because Jenna Ortega has openly come out as anti-ICE and condemned some of Israel’s actions in Palestine? Or is the hatred for Taika Waititi because he made an underwhelming Thor: Love and Thunder? It could just be that people were very fond of the book and don’t like change.
I haven’t read the book, so I can’t judge it based on that. Apparently, there are quite a few differences, particularly in the tone and ending. But judged as a film in its own right? I have very few complaints. It is overly twee at times. You can definitely see the “I’m quirky” strings that hold up Klara’s character. But Jenna Ortega plays her with such earnestness that it all feels rather genuine. If her performance was lacking, the film would fall apart. She’s joined by Mia Tharia, who I’m not that familiar with, but who does a really good job of portraying her character’s teenage cynicism and world-weariness.
It’s not perfect. I’d have liked a bit more world-building. We’re given glimpses of what caused society to develop the way it has, but not enough to make the setting feel like a genuinely distinct future. It also sometimes feels like it’s close to saying something important, only to pull away and make a joke instead. KATS seems uncertain about how seriously it wants to be taken. There’s a genuinely interesting story here about what it means to be human, how we connect with one another, and the difference between intelligence and not being a complete prick. Klara’s model is described as being “too empathetic”. She is designed to observe people and learn from them, yet she often seems to understand the emotional needs of the people around her better than they understand themselves. There’s something rather lovely about that. At the same time, the film occasionally feels afraid of being too sincere, throwing in a joke or a quirky moment to stop things getting too heavy. I don’t mind the humour, but I wish it trusted its own ideas enough to let them breathe.
Visually, there’s plenty of potential, but the film never quite lives up to it. There are some beautiful shots, but nothing that wows you. The setting lends itself to plenty of visually interesting ideas, but the film never really takes advantage of them. It doesn’t feel like a different world; it feels like our world with some futuristic set dressing.
That said, none of these issues stopped me from enjoying it. There’s a warmth to the film that makes it difficult to dislike, even when it’s being a little too twee for its own good. Ortega is the main reason it works, bringing enough sincerity to Klara that you buy into her as a character rather than simply seeing her as a collection of adorable mannerisms. Tharia provides a good counterbalance, and their relationship gives the film an emotional centre that holds everything together.
Ultimately, I came away from Klara And The Sun pleasantly surprised. It isn’t the masterpiece it occasionally seems to think it is, and I can understand why people might find its approach a little irritating. But I also think the sheer negativity surrounding it is excessive. It’s an engaging, occasionally moving science-fiction drama that doesn’t explore its interesting ideas as deeply as I’d have liked. I went in expecting a disaster and came out having had a rather good time. That’s a pretty good result. It’s not something I feel you NEED to see, but it is something you may want to.
