Coming three years after his last theatrical release – Next Goal Wins (2023) – director Taika Waititi’s film Klara and the Sun proves to be an acquired taste that will perhaps be best experienced by the masses in years to come, as it is most likely to be misunderstood at the time of its release.
The film tells the story of Klara (Jenna Ortega), an Artificial Friend (or A.F.) who is hoping to be bought, or taken home, by a loving family. However, being an older model A.F., Klara is not at the top of the list to be adopted. But, when Josie (Mia Tharia) and her mother (Amy Adams) happen by the Artificial Friend store during the week that Klara is featured in the store’s window display, Klara and Josie seem to exhibit an almost immediate bond and Klara soon finds herself bought, paid for, and shipped to Josie’s to be her new friend.
Director Waititi works from a script he co-wrote with Dahvi Waller (the writer of numerous episodes of Desperate Housewives [2006-2008] as well as a co-producer of both Eli Stone [2008-2009] and Mad Men [2009-2010]) that the pair adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro. It is this story that anchors the film in the sort of whimsical futuristic reality that it is set in.
Ra Vincent’s production design and Mike Berlucchi’s cinematography lend the film and almost ethereal quality that often seems to blur between reality and fiction itself, which seems very much in keeping with the film’s characters and the struggles they are facing.
Jenna Ortega stars in “Klara and the Sun.” Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Publicity.
Those characters, anchored by Ortega’s titular Klara, are all fleshed out expertly by the performers. Similarly, Tharia’s Josie is the perfect foil for Ortega to play off of and the bond the two characters appear to form seems genuine and honest, which makes the story all that more powerful. As Josie’s mother, Adams is well cast and brings an air of authenticity to the role that another actor might not have been able to deliver.
Overall though, Klara and the Sun plays as though it may be slightly ahead of its time. While some will enjoy it for the charm and spirit it possesses, others will likely bristle at it and view it as hollow or dressed-up treacle. Regardless, the film will likely be viewed by a future critical lens as an important work in Waititi’s filmography that stands alongside his best work as a director.
WHERE TO WATCH: (powered by JustWatch)
| Producer: | Taika Waititi, David Heyman, Garrett Basch |
| Release Date: | October 23, 2026 |
| Running Time: | 114 minutes |
| Starring: | Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne, Harry Greenwood, Sebastian Tang |
| Writer: | Taika Waititi, Dahvi Waller |
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 (for thematic elements, some violence and strong language) |
| Director: | Taika Waititi |
| Distributor: | Columbia Pictures |
| External Info: | Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / X (TWITTER) / #KlaraAndTheSun |
