Taika Waititi has taken on a Nobel Prize winner by Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun, but the resulting film falls short of the source material. When I first experienced Waititi as a director, in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, I was thrilled at his ability to deliver big set pieces and incorporate humor. Then, in 2019, Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit blew me away with a fascinating balance of deep, emotionally charged story beats and more intense and consequential storytelling.
Following on from these two films, I had high hopes for him as a filmmaker. Unfortunately, since then, I’ve struggled to find that same level of balance or nuance in his work. Despite high hopes at the prospect of Waititi adapting the work of one of my favorite novelists, I’m disappointed to say that Klara and the Sun fails to capture the beauty of a carefully constructed dystopian tale, instead offering up a ham-fisted sci-fi comedy with a hollow message.
Klara And The Sun Meanders Toward A Lackluster Ending
Klara and the Sun is a story told from the perspective of an aging robot, Klara (Jenna Ortega), who is part of a discontinued line of hyper-emotional humanoid droids designed to be friends to lonely young people. As unusual as her purpose may be, Klara herself stands out as one of the most odd robots among her peers due to a number of quirks.
These quirks come to define her, pave the way for her to be adopted by a curious young woman named Josie (Mia Tharia), and eventually embark on a series of misadventures. That constitutes much of the premise and is the spine of the story up through most of the second act, before a series of thinly veiled secrets alter the dynamics and lead to what should be a heartwarming, moving end.
The truth is, Taika Waititi was not the right choice for this story.
Unfortunately, it isn’t a moving ending. The movie spends so much time playing into the quirks of the characters, unearned tensions and repaired relationships, and big twists that ultimately go nowhere, that the conclusion feels distinctly (and ironically) wooden.
The truth is, Taika Waititi was not the right choice for this story. While he certainly managed to imbue humor and deliver moments that are genuinely worth a chuckle, the emotional core of the film suffers from being filtered through his sensibility, and the resolution feels rushed and underdeveloped. And yet, despite all of this, there are elements of this film that remain worthwhile.
Despite A Hollow Core, Klara And The Sun Has Its Bright Spots
Firstly, enormous credit needs to be given to Mia Tharia, who plays Josie with enormous confidence, magnetism, and charm. This character stands out as the most complex and important of the film, connecting everyone else together, and Tharia shows off her skills as Josie goes through phases of emotions and life.
Next, Jenna Ortega manages to pull off a solid performance despite a lacking screenplay. Her ability to contort and control every aspect of her face, and to imbue her character with emotion while still feeling robotic is impressive, and it’s a shame the story isn’t coherent enough to fully capitalize on the talent involved.
Klara and the Sun suffers from a lack of depth.
In addition, one of the most captivating elements of this film has to be the score, which opens up the story with a unique sound that combines electronic music with organic and human voices in a way that sets the stage perfectly. Then, throughout the film, there are a handful of needle drops that work extremely well, resulting in a very pleasant experience as far as the audio goes.
Finally, there are strong visual elements, both to establish how Klara views the world, and to constantly connect with the themes of light and dark. The visuals carry a lot of weight, along with the other positives highlighted here, but unfortunately, Klara and the Sun suffers from a lack of depth. On the surface, it’s shiny, and it sounds good, and the actors perform well in their parts. But it’s missing the heart that it desperately needs to come to life.
Klara and the Sun releases in theaters nationwide on Friday, October 23.
- Release Date
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October 23, 2026
- Runtime
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116 Minutes
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