Finally in a cinema in France, After Young is a SF slapper you shouldn’t miss. AlloCiné spoke to actor Colin Farrell and director Kogonada about the film’s themes and its crazy dance scene.
A true favorite of the Cannes Film Festival 2021, presented in the Un Certain Regard section, after Yang finally arrives in our French cinemas. This suspense film tells the story of a father and his adopted daughter trying to save their defective android babysitter. Artist, screenwriter and director Kogonada (Columbus) turns this adaptation of Alexander Weinstein’s story Saying Goodbye to Yang into a delicate and moving alien that will not leave you indifferent.
carries a Colin Farrell Best played by the already very talented young Malea Emma Tiandrawijaja, the film summons our relationship with image, cultural heritage and the essence of humanity in a whirlwind of sweetness and poetry that is very modern and aesthetically perfect. on the big screen to fully enjoy an intense cinematic experience.
Who better to tell us about it than its writer and director and lead actor? AlloCiné was able to sit down with Kogonada and Colin Farrell to discuss the film’s themes, its setting, and a scene that’s sure to leave a mark on souls.
AlloCiné: You adapted Alexander Weinstein’s story Saying Goodbye to Yang, why did you decide to change the title and name your film after Yang?
Kogonada: I like the word “after” because it has a kind of double meaning. It can mean a place in time, but it can also mean the pursuit of what you seek. So I like the idea that there’s a lot of Jake’s research in this movie trying to figure out Yang’s life. That’s why I always liked its double meaning.
I think everyone told you about the opening sequence where all the families dance in sync, it’s so awesome. How was it conceived and developed?
Kogonada: I thought about this scene when I was writing the conversation about a family trying to be a team. I just knew it was going to be done with raw dancing. The choreographer saw this sequence at the beginning of the film as a confetti explosion. And it was fun, which I loved. And it’s also a bit dark. It’s about a dance competition where families are out of sync.
Colin, how did you prepare for this dance in the plastic costumes?
Colin Farrell: My former career teaching country and western line dancing when I was 18 didn’t prepare me for this. (laughs) But no, it was fun. What is explored in the film is very soft but serious and impressive. We talk about grief, loss and separation from those we love. So it was amazing to create a scene that was frivolous, light and also joyful in the beginning.
It was also a great introduction to our characters and our co-stars because we recorded this sequence early in the shoot. We all got to know each other with this scene, especially Jodi, for whom it was the first day of filming.
Dance captures human feelings. I always feel the dance because it doesn’t bother me with words. And there is something about dancing that is almost incomparable as a human being. It reminds you of something very primitive about who we are. Ultimately, we are beings who need to express ourselves and feel connected to others. I like that about dancing.
As in the credits of the pachinko series you directed, you do a family dance. Is expressing your body through dance a way for you to express the bond that exists in your family?
Kogonada: Exactly. Dance captures human feelings. I always feel the dance because it doesn’t bother me with words. And there is something about dancing that is almost incomparable as a human being. It reminds you of something very primitive about who we are. Ultimately, we are beings who need to express ourselves and feel connected to others. I like that about dancing.
Reflection on androids and the pursuit of humanity are questions that are often discussed in science fiction, but these two entities are often in conflict. Which is much stronger than the blood bond.
Colin Farrell: Yes, often in science fiction, if there is another, whether it’s an android, an alien from another planet, or a technologically engineered human creation, it’s often seen as a traitor or an evil threat. After Yang it is different.
In the film, Young is the conduit for reuniting the families. And technology and artificial intelligence are used to both provide comfort, a sense of community, and a sense of love where it might not exist. And yet, man is so obsessed with himself and his image that he does not realize the importance of his own creation.
I don’t think my character Jake knows how important Yang is to his daughter Mika. He is a family member and pillar. And only by losing Yang does he realize the emptiness that Yang’s absence has caused. It’s a beautiful approach, completely different from what we know in the sci-fi genre.
Yang is also the link between the past and the future for Mika, as he talks to her about her background and culture.
Colin Farrell: Young is a really important cultural bridge. I am Irish and have lived in America for twenty years. There is a fine line between respecting cultural origins and delving into the labyrinth of dangerous nationalism. I’m very proud to be Irish, but when it makes sense. And I think understanding your cultural background is very important.
If you don’t understand this, you might feel a little mad at the world. When you know where you come from, that you understand your background, and that it’s a solid foundation, you can move away from it more, without forgetting.
And I think one of the great things that Yang gives Mika is this opportunity to have that base that her parents don’t really have—whether they’re too busy or they don’t have the skills or the skills. Knowledge – to give. He needs such comfort.
As Young invokes our relationship with imagery, mourning, loss, and memory, the film’s poetic aesthetic presents its themes with a sublime blend of nature and technology. How were the aesthetics and decorations conceived?
Kogonada: I think as modern people, we all feel a kind of alienation. You mentioned family or community, but I’m also talking about our connection with nature. I think that with progress, industrialization and modernization – although I’m all for progress – we’re facing a real sense of disconnection from the world, from the earth and from each other.
I really wanted to try to re-imagine the type of space in which it is necessary to return to these instinctive connections and connections. And then to address the fundamental question of what is really the family that we choose for ourselves, that we create for ourselves through connections.
The entire cast is incredible, Justin H. Minny, Jodie Turner-Smith, Haley Lou Richardson, but young Malea Emma Tiandrawijaja is a real revelation. What was it like making this special film with this cast?
Colin Farrell: He’s an amazing person, as are the rest of the open-minded, accepting actors I’ve worked with. We had a little time, but the shoot was very calm and quiet, just like the movie. There were about forty of us in total on this shoot, but everyone knew the co-living space we had and it was really great. There was a relaxed sense of community in this group that worked with ease and complicity.
And this atmosphere permeated us. But I think it also comes from the source and Kogonada’s interpretation. We all brought personal baggage and wove it into the story we were interpreting. And everyone brought their stone to the building. Beauty comes from our different experiences on common themes and their unification. This shooting was a special experience for me.
Interview by Megan Choquette on June 27, 2022.
Source: allocine
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