--- title: "Klara and the Sun" year: 2026 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/klara-and-the-sun" fi1m_id: "klara-and-the-sun" imdb_id: "tt14371256" tmdb_id: 858035 wikidata_id: "Q124409386" fi1m_score: 34 critics_score: 28 critics_reviews: 13 published: "2026-10-22" updated: "2026-10-22T02:36:21.553175+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Klara and the Sun (2026) Directed by Taika Waititi · 1h 56m · MPA PG-13 · Science Fiction, Drama ## Identity Klara and the Sun - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/klara-and-the-sun - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** klara-and-the-sun - **IMDb ID:** tt14371256 - **TMDB ID:** 858035 - **Wikidata ID:** Q124409386 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14371256/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/858035, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124409386 **Fi1m score: 34** · Critics 28 from 13 reviews *In a sentence:* An artificial friend who deserves better human supervision > Taika Waititi’s adaptation mistakes cuteness for feeling, with forced jokes that weaken its questions about artificial friendship. Jenna Ortega brings welcome sincerity, but the thin writing leaves her doing too much of the work. ## Synopsis Klara (Jenna Ortega) is an artificial companion at the centre of a science-fiction drama about friendship, love and grief. The people in her story include Josie (Mia Tharia), Chrissie (Amy Adams) and Rick (Aran Murphy), with Natasha Lyonne as Manager. Comedy gives way to questions of illness and mortality as the film explores what an artificial friend can offer to human beings. Taika Waititi directs this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, working from a screenplay by Dahvi Waller and Taika Waititi. ## Review *Klara and the Sun* is a poor adaptation, too busy making its artificial companion cute to give her questions much thought. Taika Waititi directs from a screenplay by Dahvi Waller and Taika Waititi, adapting the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. The film wants to make artificial friendship approachable through comedy, then ask what such a friendship can offer in the face of illness and mortality. That is a workable approach, and there is no reason a serious subject should exclude a laugh. Here, though, the jokes keep interrupting the things we have been asked to care about. Jenna Ortega supplies the strongest reason to stay. As Klara, she brings wide-eyed attention and a determination that suggest a character capable of learning, rather than merely supplying amusing misunderstandings. Her earnestness gives the film occasional warmth, and we can see why this companion might matter to somebody. The writing gives her too few chances to develop beyond that appealing first impression. Ortega keeps trying to make Klara worth caring about, but a performance cannot supply all the curiosity and complexity that the screenplay has left out. The comic treatment is where the damage is most obvious. We find the slapstick frustrating because it turns Klara’s innocence into an easy joke, working against the seriousness Ortega brings to her. Humour could have helped us understand how she interprets people, or how people respond to her. Instead, the forced jokes make her more cartoonish without making her more interesting. When the film asks us to consider love and grief, it has to overcome the habit it has encouraged of finding its central character quaint. Mike Berlucchi’s photography does little to give the science-fiction setting a distinct character; the images feel as underdeveloped as the society they show. Tom Eagles and Adam Gough edit, but the shifts between slapstick and distress remain awkward. At 116 minutes, there is room to explore the implications of artificial companionship, yet the film keeps spending that time on changes of mood. The problem is not simply pace: too little of what happens deepens our understanding of Klara. Ra Vincent’s production design cannot do the work of a screenplay that barely develops its dystopian premise. We need some sense of how this society works if Klara’s place within it is to mean much beyond the immediate story. Michael Giacchino provides the music, but the film’s insistence on poignancy leaves little space for a less prescribed response. Sentiment is welcome when the people have become convincing enough to earn it. Here it arrives while the film is still struggling to make its ideas clear. Against the standards of science fiction about artificial life, this is a disappointingly incurious film. It need not explain every mechanism or turn every conversation into a debate, but it should make us think about why people want a manufactured friend. Most critics have objected to the sentimentality and strained humour, and those objections are hard to dispute. Ortega’s commitment and the occasional charm are real consolations, though they cannot make the drama convincing. Admirers of her work should be prepared for a film that gives her far less to play than she deserves. *Fi1m score 34, published 22 October 2026.* ## What the critics say The consensus is strongly negative: critics largely see Klara and the Sun as an adaptation whose forced whimsy and sentimentality weaken the novel’s emotional and philosophical concerns. Praise clusters around Jenna Ortega, with several reviews finding earnestness, energy and determination in her performance as Klara, even when the writing gives her little to work with. There is little agreement that the film succeeds beyond that central performance, and repeated complaints concern jokes that interrupt rather than support its treatment of love, grief and mortality. The differences are chiefly in severity, with twelve negative reviews and one mixed response. Empire offers the mildest assessment, finding charm in places and praising Ortega while acknowledging an inconsistent tone. Elsewhere, reservations extend to thinly developed ideas, ineffective emotion and bland visuals; critics differ over how much Ortega can salvage, but none gives the film an unqualified recommendation. ## Straight answers **Is Klara and the Sun worth watching?** *Klara and the Sun* is difficult to recommend beyond admirers of Jenna Ortega, and we score it 34 out of 100. Her sincere performance brings occasional warmth, but forced jokes, thin writing and awkward shifts towards grief leave the film’s questions about artificial friendship poorly explored. **How long is Klara and the Sun, and what is it rated?** *Klara and the Sun* runs 1h 56m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a science fiction and drama film. **Where can I watch Klara and the Sun in the US?** *Klara and the Sun* is not on any streaming or rental service in the US at the moment. It is available in 2 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Klara and the Sun, and is it suitable for children?** *Klara and the Sun* carries a UK 12A certificate, so children under 12 need an accompanying adult at the cinema. Its themes of illness, mortality and grief warrant consideration for younger viewers despite the slapstick comedy. We would not treat its cute artificial companion as a promise of light viewing, or the certificate as a specific guide to violence. **How does Klara and the Sun compare to A.I. Artificial Intelligence?** *Klara and the Sun* is the weaker choice beside [*A.I. Artificial Intelligence*](https://film.one/film/a-i-artificial-intelligence) for a drama about artificial beings and human love. We find Spielberg’s film deeply moving despite its wandering story and over-explanation; Klara’s forced comedy undermines the sincerity Ortega brings, making it harder to care about her companion’s questions. **Is Klara and the Sun based on a true story or a book?** *Klara and the Sun* adapts Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel rather than a true story, with a screenplay by Dahvi Waller and Taika Waititi. Our criticism concerns the film’s thin characterisation and intrusive comedy rather than its fidelity to the book: the drama needs to make Klara convincing on screen, whatever familiarity we bring. **What should I watch after Klara and the Sun?** After *Klara and the Sun*, try [*A.I. Artificial Intelligence*](https://film.one/film/a-i-artificial-intelligence) (2001, Fi1m 84): An artificial child’s need for love makes for troubling family viewing. Then [*Never Let Me Go*](https://film.one/film/never-let-me-go) (2010, Fi1m 73): Another Ishiguro adaptation, concerned with constrained lives and difficult human attachments. ### Reviews we read (13) - **Empire**, Helen O’Hara (55/100, inferred): O’Hara finds the film charming in places but hampered by an uneven, inconsistent tone. She praises Jenna Ortega’s wide-eyed performance and determination as Klara. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/klara-and-the-sun/) - **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (3/2/1): Jenkins finds the adaptation a breezy, incoherent fantasy that misses the emotional mark. He criticizes Waititi for undercutting the novel’s profound themes with juvenile humor and leaving ideas unresolved. [Read](https://www.lwlies.com/reviews/klara-and-the-sun) - **The Independent**, Clarisse Loughrey (2/5): Loughrey judges the adaptation a schmaltzy misfire that betrays the novel’s quiet, meditative vision. She particularly faults its cartoonish treatment of Klara and its forced jokes for flattening the source material’s incisive observations. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/klara-and-the-sun-movie-review-jenna-ortega-amy-adams-b3067833.html) - **Slant Magazine**, David Robb (1.5/4): Robb finds the adaptation hollow, arguing it strips away the novel’s emotional and philosophical substance. He praises Jenna Ortega’s earnest performance but faults the film for barely developing its dystopian premise. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/klara-and-the-sun-review-jenna-ortega-amy-adams-taika-waititi/) - **IndieWire**, Ryan Lattanzio (D): The critic pans the film as a relentlessly twee, confoundingly bad adaptation. They fault its slapstick and tonal misjudgments for undermining its existential questions and Jenna Ortega’s performance. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/klara-and-the-sun-review-jenna-ortega-1235222961/) - **Screen Daily**, Dave Calhoun (30/100, inferred): Calhoun’s headline characterizes the adaptation as overstuffed. The headline offers no further detail about what works or what specifically feels excessive. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/klara-and-the-sun-review-jenna-ortega-stars-in-taika-waititis-overstuffed-adaptation-of-the-kazuo-ishiguro-novel/5221529.article) - **Radio Times**, Patrick Cremona (20/100, inferred): The critic calls the adaptation badly misjudged and says it fails to recapture the novel’s magic. The complaint is that the film loses what made the source novel work. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/klara-and-the-sun-review/) - **Time Out**, Olly Richards (15/100, inferred): The review judges the adaptation a dud and says its cutesy AI-fairytale approach needs a hard reset. It singles out that tone as the central problem, with no praise evident in the available text. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/klara-and-the-sun-review-2026) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (10/100, inferred): Bradshaw calls the film a sentimental, laborious mess that says little of substance about AI, love or grief. He particularly objects to its mannered performances and contrived ending. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/15/klara-and-the-sun-review-taika-waititi-kazuo-ishiguro) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (10/100, inferred): Rooney pans the film as cloying, clumsy, and emotionally ineffective. He particularly faults its forced whimsy for undermining Ishiguro’s subtle storytelling and the film’s attempts at poignancy. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/klara-and-the-sun-review-jenna-ortega-taika-waititi-1236735986/) - **Variety**, Guy Lodge (10/100, inferred): Lodge finds the adaptation a calamitous mismatch with Ishiguro’s novel, calling it both perky and inert. He singles out the film’s twee tone and textureless visuals, while noting that Jenna Ortega cannot overcome the one-note writing. [Read](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/reviews/klara-and-the-sun-review-41429/) - **The Playlist**, Rodrigo Perez (D+): The critic finds the adaptation disappointingly hollow, faulting Taika Waititi’s heavy-handed sentimentality for flattening the novel’s emotional complexity. Jenna Ortega’s earnest performance as Klara stands out as a bright spot. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/klara-and-the-sun-review-taika-waititi-jenna-ortega-20261020/) - **Deadline**, Damon Wise (20/100, inferred): Wise finds the film a flat, overly obvious adaptation that fails to deliver on its promised blend of comedy and drama. He praises Jenna Ortega’s energy early on, but complains that the story loses its fun and subtlety as it turns toward illness and mortality. [Read](https://deadline.com/2026/10/klara-and-the-sun-review-taiki-waititi-jenna-ortega-amy-adams-1237158580/) ## Details - **Director:** Taika Waititi - **Director:** Taika Waititi - **Screenplay:** Dahvi Waller, Taika Waititi - **Novel:** Kazuo Ishiguro - **Cinematography:** Mike Berlucchi - **Editor:** Adam Gough, Tom Eagles - **Music:** Michael Giacchino - **Production design:** Ra Vincent - **Costume design:** Mayes C. Rubeo - **Producer:** Garrett Basch, David Heyman, Taika Waititi - **Cast:** Jenna Ortega as Klara; Mia Tharia as Josie; Amy Adams as Chrissie; Natasha Lyonne as Manager; Aran Murphy as Rick; Rachel House as Melania; Steve Buscemi; Davida McKenzie as Simone - **Runtime:** 1h 56m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 23 October 2026 - **Genres:** Science Fiction, Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixzainceAE ## Where to watch in the US Not streaming, renting or buying in the US at the last check. Also available in: AU, NZ. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *After Yang* (2021): A quiet consideration of artificial companionship, family life and grief. - *A.I. Artificial Intelligence* (2001), Fi1m 84: An artificial child’s need for love makes for troubling family viewing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-i-artificial-intelligence.md) - *Never Let Me Go* (2010), Fi1m 73: Another Ishiguro adaptation, concerned with constrained lives and difficult human attachments. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/never-let-me-go.md) - *Robot & Frank* (2012): Artificial companionship approached through practical needs, criminal habits and dry humour. - *I'm Your Man* (2021): A German romantic comedy questioning the appeal of a manufactured partner. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/klara-and-the-sun