Klara and the Sun Review: Critics Divided Over Waititi’s Film

Taika Waititi Directs Kazuo Ishiguro Adaptation Starring Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega stars as an artificial intelligence companion in Klara and the Sun, a sci-fi film directed by Taika Waititi that adapts Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel, Mashable reported. The movie arrives in theaters on October 22 in Australia and October 23 in the United States and United Kingdom.

The adaptation portrays a post-World War III, post-internet society where wealthy households purchase “Artificial Friends” to serve as companions for isolated teenagers. Ortega plays Klara, an AF model distinguished by her habit of standing on one leg and her devotion to the sun as a benevolent deity.

Cast and Production Details Behind the Sci-Fi Adaptation

Mia Tharia stars as Josie, a 14-year-old who has undergone a medical procedure known as “lifting.” Amy Adams plays Chrissie, Josie’s smothering mother and an interior designer living in a house north of a soot-covered city. Natasha Lyonne appears as a kindly store manager who reads bedtime stories to the robot wards, while Rachel House plays Melania, a fiercely protective maid.

The production features a screenplay co-written by Taika Waititi and Dahvi Waller. Michael Giacchino provides the musical score for the feature, which runs 116 minutes and carries a PG classification in theaters.

Critics Slam Adaptation While Younger Audiences Praise Film

Critical response to the film has been sharply divided. While younger audiences at festival screenings praised the movie, describing it as funny and emotional, professional critics offered harsh reviews. The Independent described the adaptation as a schmaltzy misfire that strips the source material of its observational nature, while The Globe and Mail characterized it as a dire and robotic adaptation, and Vulture noted that the production bogs Ortega down in physical comedy and pratfalls.

Reviewers also contrasted Waititi’s comedic, slapstick-heavy approach with Ishiguro’s deliberate, sober prose. Where the novel explores deep philosophical questions about human nature, the film leans into pratfalls, one-liners, and a default tone sitting between silly and sentimental.

Frequently Asked Questions About Klara and the Sun

What is Klara’s primary function in the story?

Klara is an Artificial Friend designed to be the companion of a lonely teenager. She runs on solar energy and develops a profound, religious devotion to the sun, believing it can heal her sick human owner, Josie.

Who wrote the book that the movie is based on?

The film adapts the 2021 novel of the same name by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, known for writing delicate dramas about the human condition.

Which actors join Jenna Ortega in the main cast?

The film stars Jenna Ortega, Mia Tharia as Josie, and six-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams as Josie’s mother Chrissie. Natasha Lyonne and Rachel House also appear in supporting roles.

In another version of this movie, Klara could be a murder-bot, Taika Waititi remarked during festival discussions regarding the character’s conceptual flexibility.