As you would expect for a film based on a book by Kazuo Ishiguro the subject of the film is multi-layered but I wonder if sometimes the way the story is told gets in the way of the story itself. This film is filled with homages referencing films like Amelie, Ordinary People, Surrogates and at times visually, Blade Runner. With a world transfixed by AI and its potential benefits and drawbacks, I imagine we are going to see more and more films exploring humanoid AI. This film tries to paint a positive picture of AI's potential benefits and for that it is to be commended. It is impossible for me say more without spoiling the plot, so if you don't want to know, stop reading here!
Set in a future where the field of android robotics has advanced, shops sell 'Artificial Friends' - life size human robots that are highly developed, able to learn and in Klara's case sentient. This film is essentially and exploration in ontology - the branch of metaphysics that deals with 'being'. It asks what makes humans human and can that ever be replicated in a non-biological humanoid.
The first hour of its two hour run time I found painfully slow. After that it quickened towards its climax. Watching the film feels like being part of a group therapy session which is exploring why and how a family has become dysfunctional and how grief impacts our lives. At times it is very heavy - the film affected my mood for the rest of the day. There are moments of comedy, usually of a slapstick nature, which didn't work for me - they jarred with the seriousness of the subject matter.
The film is filled with moments of naievity and cleverness in equal measure. Ishiguro is a master of intertwining different emotions playing out in the lives of his characters. Just because an answer to a situation is plainly in sight for the viewer to see, it doesn't mean the characters have the same view - especially if they are enmeshed in their own emotional turmoil. The repeated use of this device left me frustrated.
Eventually we get the core of the problem that causes this family's dysfunction - grief and the deep sense of loss that accompanies it. Grief is a deeply personal thing and those characters entangled in the web of its impact try to compensate in different ways, which ends up only magnifying the problems. The loss of a child, then a husband, then a career are the losses that mum Chrissie (Amy Adams) suffers. In trying to compensate she commissioned a life like avatar of her first daughter who died as a child. She then subjects her younger daughter Josie (Mia Tharia) to a medical procedure to enhance her intellectual and creative capacities (uplifting) ensuring that she is destined to excel academically and enjoy whatever career path she chooses.
Klara has been bought to be an Artificial Fiend for teenage Josie who, as a consequence of being 'uplifted' is actually dying although she is initially unaware of that. Klara has been programmed to learn from her host and to perform whatever is necessary to make the host happy. She is met with hostility by Chrissie and especially Melania the Housekeeper (Rachel House) but Josie remains happy to have Klara around. Klara befriends the AI Scarecrow (Jesse Griffin) and Josie's geeky boyfriend Rick (Aran Murphy) and eventually wins over both Chrissie and Melania. Klara's act of self-sacrifice at the end of the film demonstrates the potential of good AI programming and offers a twist to the narrative arc.
The film was made in New Zealand (Silverlight Studios in Wanaka) and it's good to see local actors as part of the cast (Rachel House and Jesse Griffin). There is an excellent and powerful cameo from Steve Buscemi towards the end which reveals the true horror of what has been going on and opens up all the ontological questions the film explores. In this film there are many victims, some of their own making, but the shining star has to be Klara. This film left me in a fug. I don't need to see it again. It would make a good but painful basis for a group discussion on grief and family dynamics - but I would prefer to use Ordinary People. I don't need to see it again. I'll give 6/10.
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