Taika Waititi is back behind the camera, and he has brought along Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, and Natasha Lyonne for a science-fiction story unlike anything in his previous work. The film is Klara and the Sun, adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro, and it arrives as one of the more anticipated releases of the season.
The Story at Its Core
The film unfolds in a near future where robots are sold as companions to ease human loneliness. Klara, an older model played by Ortega, catches the eye of a young girl named Josie (Mia Tharia), whose mother (Adams) purchases Klara to keep her daughter company at home. As the trailer progresses, it becomes clear that Josie is dealing with a mysterious illness, threading a layer of genuine emotional weight through what is otherwise a warm and playful story.
Kazuo Ishiguro's Track Record on Screen
Ishiguro is an author whose work has translated powerfully to film more than once. His novel Never Let Me Go was previously adapted into a deeply affecting film, and he personally wrote the screenplay for Living, the English-language reimagining of the Japanese classic Ikiru, which was warmly received on release. Klara and the Sun arrives carrying those same expectations of thoughtful, emotionally resonant storytelling.
Where Waititi Has Been
Waititi last directed Next Goal Wins, a film that failed to find its audience at the box office. Before that he delivered Thor: Love and Thunder for Marvel. But it is Hunt for the Wilderpeople, with its irresistible balance of comedy and warmth, that remains his most beloved work. The character of Ricky Baker from that film became something of a cultural touchstone, and Klara and the Sun feels like a deliberate return to that emotional space.
Comedy, Heart, and a Robot on the Stairs
The trailer makes clear that Waititi has not abandoned his instinct for laughs. Klara steps into the world as a blank slate, wide-eyed and bewildered, and Ortega plays the fish-out-of-water role with genuine ease and charm. TrendKia was particularly taken by the moment Klara tumbles headfirst down a flight of stairs, a scene that neatly captures both the comedy and the character's disarming innocence. Ortega looks fully at home with the comedic side of the role, which adds a refreshing new dimension to her work.
That said, if the adaptation holds true to Ishiguro's source material, heavier themes are waiting in the wings. Waititi has always known how to let laughter and real feeling share the same scene, and this film appears to aim squarely at that bittersweet territory. It might be worth keeping some tissues nearby.
UK Release Date
Klara and the Sun opens in UK cinemas on 23 October.
