Taika Waititi’s film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s dystopian novel Klara and the Sun has drawn sharply negative reviews from major publications following its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. Reviewers from outlets including The Guardian and The Telegraph criticized the science fiction drama for an unconvincing mixture of exaggerated comedy and heavy-handed sentimentality.
The film stars Jenna Ortega as Klara, a solar-powered artificial friend built to accompany a seriously ill teenager named Josie, played by Mia Tharia. Set in a future shaped by technological advancements and the aftermath of a third world war, the narrative explores themes of artificial intelligence, love, loneliness, and grief. Josie, a 14-year-old facing an unspecified illness, is expected to undergo an expensive surgical procedure intended to elevate her intellectual abilities, making the robot’s companionship vital to her isolation.
Harsh Reception at London Film Festival
Following its screening at the 70th edition of the London Film Festival, the adaptation was met with hostile reviews and currently sits at a low score on Metacritic. Critics took aim at the tonal balance of the film, which was adapted by Waititi and Dahvi Waller from Ishiguro’s 2021 novel-the author’s first release after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017.
The Guardian described the movie as a sentimental and laborious mess, arguing that its exploration of artificial intelligence and grief remains superficial. Similarly, Deadline noted that the feature occupies an awkward space between children’s entertainment and adult drama, leaving its emotional stakes feeling flat.
Cast and Production Details
Alongside Ortega and Tharia, the cast features Amy Adams as Josie’s mother Chrissie, alongside Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne as the manager of the robot store, Aran Murphy, and Rachel House. The production holds a PG-13 rating with a running time of 1 hour and 56 minutes.
Sony Pictures has scheduled the theatrical release of Klara and the Sun in the United States and the United Kingdom on October 23, 2026, giving studios a narrow window to address the wave of negative word-of-mouth generated by its festival debut.
