“… what the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.” Phenomenal film.

It may interest you to know that the inspiration for the film was this quote: “The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life. To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair.” Yang doesn't know what it is to be human but he knows what it is to really live: to foster a meaningful sense of connection, to moments, people, places and things, otherwise life will idly slip by. Yang's passing incites Jake's search for meaning, which ultimately lifts him out of the everydayness of his own life. I also find it interesting that when Mika disturbs Jake watching Yang's memories she asks, "Are you watching a film?" and he replies that he is. I like to think that by watching Yang, Jake is having a personal and epiphanic experience, and by watching the film, so are we.

I cried for an hour. This was a funeral...for a person. For Yang.

There’s something so relaxing and warming about the architecture of their house and the tea stuff, it makes you want to climb into the movie and just sit in that space. Or maybe I’m just hugely into tea and that style of home, but I loved it.

I stumbled across the film on a cruise ship, and immediately watched it again when I got home. I’m going through some major changes in my life right now and I could see so many of them reflected in little nuances presented by After Yang. It really does cut to the core of what it means to be human in an extremely poignant way and I found myself alternately crying, smiling, and gawking in amazement throughout. What a movie

Great video. I also loved the scene where Yang and Colin’s character discussed the the tea. One interpretation of the symbolism of that scene in my mind was that the way Colin’s character described tea drew parallels with his relationship with his wife and their love. He loved the idea of the finding the teas but couldn’t say that he necessarily loved the taste of the tea. When he was younger he probably enjoyed the idea of a life with this woman but now that he has it, he has taken it for granted. Meanwhile Yang would love nothing more than to have what he has with his wife. To love and be loved the way Colin’s character once did.

To me the tea scene shows how hypocritical Jake was and how seeing that replayed in front of him makes him grow He doesn't keep crystal tea, he doesn't like clones and yet he gets this droid to basically raise his one and only adopted daughter, someone that's supposed to be his responsibility He admires tea so much he loves the natural earthiness to it, the search for it and yet he himself is so disconnected from his "soil aka his family PS. I wish we got more of Kyra because her big scene with Yang while moving still left me with more questions about Kyra and who she really was. Still a wonderful scene nonetheless.

Great short analysis of this film. I loved the tree grafting scene. I didn't pick up on the idea of Yang being the bandage and even after he leaves the branches are still fused. Well done and thank you.

Saw this at Sundance and it’s still my favorite film of 2022 so far 🙏🏼 Kogonada is brilliant, I’m also obsessed with his previous film Columbus

Great analysis. I love the existencial themes amd use of memory in this film. Your interpretation of the sticky tape is spot on, I never thought of it that way, but Yang is like a bridge connecting the humans around him, connectimg them to different perspectives. Powerful stuff dude. Thanks.

Great analogy! I too enjoyed the "tea scene" and also the "grafting scene" that showed how a branch from another tree can grow strong on a different tree. Yang's memories are what confused me. The first two are of his last family & the short stay with the second family. But the first family is where he had so many more memories. (many more stars that held the memories) When I saw the young male Asian child growing up, I thought that was him growing up. That he wasn't a robot. It looked like he was aging in the mirror. I also thought he fell in love with the physical therapist lady that comes over to help the senior woman. Who is the young lady that says; "Can I tell you something?" ? So after the first family got old & passed away, did the robot company just recycle Yang?

Ngl I loved this film but knowing a24 I was awaiting some crazy twist in the memories. Haha. Nonetheless incredible movie.

Wow!! I never thought of the tape represented Yang! I felt weird at the end, like I wasn't quite sure if there was? a difference between Yang and a human..(I) felt weird. And it felt like, Yang was somehow still alive? in their memories like the were actually revisiting that 'memory/time' with a real time another interaction with Yang like somehow Yang's 'consciousness?' was still accessible to have a 2nd 3rd ect new real interaction with him in their current time even though his body was shut off. It was weird. I still feel weird.

great video, the tea-scene also really stuck with me, it just felt so human

What do you think about the last scene of Jake and his daughter sitting together, and it became a snippet of memory like we have seen throughout the movie. Is that an unverbalized view of us audience from the director? And throughout the film we see characters shot in between door frame or inside of some kind of frame. Just thought that is peculiar choice of visualization.

Yang He who can Recall His Past Lives

In passing he bought Mika a fish - a clown fish. Is it me or was that just a brilliant, understated touch from the director?.

If you like After Yang, check out the anime called Time of Eve, it's almost the same story with some differences.

Incredible analysis. Recently watched this and adored it. Loved that part about the trees and the tape. What an interesting insight.

This movie felt like an ending to another movie. Yang is the hidden protagonist the hidden Hero his death signifies them moving on focusing on there child rather then him. If we would’ve saw him in his previous family we be closer to Yang but not close to his current family that is why I think this movie is a conclusion to Yang hence the title “After Yang”.

loved the movie

Just watched this and found your perspective on the movie. Really enjoyed both.

Thanks bro

Does anyone know what Mika says in Mandarin at the end?

Good review. Thanks

Thank you

the most human film of the year so far by a landslide

So...good🥺

At time stamp 6:07 you misspoke and said that the little girl was his daughter but it's his young sister.

Sublime

My take is that the robot was human and Karl or Jake was a robot, yes, Westworld all over again

How could Yang have an alpha archive if he made the memory bank himself? The alpha archive starts with his sibling being a baby.