For her first major lead performance, Sosie Bacon (Mare of Easttown/Scream: The TV Series/13 Reasons Why) is taking on the character of Rose in the psychological horror Smile. STARBURST caught up with Sosie to find out how she approached such an intense and multi-layered role, what it was like to work with its writer/director Parker Finn, and why readers should watch this movie on the big screen…

STARBURST: Can you tell us how you got involved with the world of Smile? 

I was sent the script and the short film Laura Hasn’t Slept. Mare of Easttown had come out, and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do next. I always wanted to do a horror movie eventually, I just wanted to be choosy about it because there are so many out there, and I like the genre a lot. I read the script, and I’m really bad at reading scripts, I prefer reading novels where they explain everything that’s going on around the person. With scripts, you have to make it up, and try to be visually engaged. It’s so hard for me. I read it, and there’s this one jump scare that you will see when you see it, but it really shook me, and I was like “Wow! OK, I’ve never seen that”, so that got me. The psychological aspect got me into it, the thriller nature, and the following of this woman. It was really well done, and then I watched Parker’s short, and that really solidified it as well. Visually, it was just so interesting, the way he told the story with the camera and the set design. It was clear that he had a unique take on this, so I was stoked.

Can you tell us about the research you did when you found out you were going to be Rose? Obviously, you could look back on Laura Hasn’t Slept, but is there anything else you wanted to look into? 

Yeah I mean for sure, when it comes to building a character, I’ve done that so many times. What I liked about this one, was finding out a lot about mental illness that I wasn’t aware of, about childhood trauma, and sort of how it manifests itself in adult life. I’m very schooled in therapy stuff, just because I love it, and find it fascinating, and also, what a person who works in an emergency psychiatric unit does on a daily basis. It’s intense, and it’s a lot. The education process of getting there is a lot. So that was fun stuff to research.

Was there anything that you really wanted to bring across from Laura Hasn’t Slept into Smile? We know the plot isn’t exactly the same, but maybe there was something contained within the short that inspired you? 

I think that most of that stuff, was the filmmaker’s job, Parker’s job. The thing that really caught me was the way that it was done, and I was excited that he had a vision to continue that. It’s just really cool when you’ve seen so many movies, to see how they did something with a camera and what that revealed, what they chose to put in that shot, and the way they used special effects. We used almost all practical SFX in Smile, which he did in the short, and it really adds a creepy element of realism, kind of gross, nasty. It just all feels like the way movies used to be made. I love all of the CGI stuff and everything, but it’s cool to see that being attempted and pulled off.

Within the movie, you’re obviously dealing with a supernatural threat, but at the same time, what we see feels quite grounded in a sense of realism. What were the challenges behind balancing those two elements, and how did you make it work? 

I can’t really act in a non-grounded way, which I don’t think is good for my own self, and brain, when it comes to a movie that is this dark. I really can’t go to this other level of ridiculous, and be honest with it. The performances have to be grounded and honest, and with this one, I considered it no different. It’s just that the circumstances were really dark and really gnarly. What’s funny is there are a couple of moments where things do go off the rails in a way that’s almost ridiculous, which happens in most horror movies. I know that I was doing that, but it’s not because I was trying to do that, it’s because I think that it was later in the shoot, and I had bought into the fact that this was my world, so those were my genuine reactions. People will think that I’m doing that, but I’m not. I was just deep in; my brain was in the world.

This is your first major lead role, and according to Parker, you’re in almost every scene in the movie. What has the filming process been like for you overall, and how do you think it compares to anything else you’ve worked on so far? It sounds pretty intense to, say the least! 

Yeah, I’m in every single scene, and almost every frame. It’s so cool that I got this opportunity, I’ve been doing this for a really long time, but I did want to get the opportunity to lead a movie, and be the one that is there throughout it. It’s hard to get that. I’m grateful for a lot of things, one is that I did so many supporting roles for so many years because I think it really builds you up to the place where you have the ability to take on the leading role. So it couldn’t have come at a better time, but people do have a hard time taking those risks. Because it’s the person that is going to lead the whole thing, and it’s a bigger job than just acting in the scenes, there’s a way that you have to carry the whole thing. It’s a lot, and I don’t think there’s anything to prepare you for that kind of experience. I think you just have to kind of do it, it was hard, it was tough, but I’m grateful that I got that opportunity, and hopefully people feel like it works, and then I can do it again, because I would love to do it again! I’d also love to do the supporting role, and just be able to chill for a second!

Can you tell us more about what it was like to work with Parker when it came to bringing Rose to life, and was there something in particular that he really wanted to see from you? 

What was great about working with Parker was that he stayed true to the vision that he had from the beginning. It’s rare for someone who hasn’t directed a feature before to get the opportunity to direct a studio feature, it’s a big deal. So the reason why that happened, is I believe, that he had a very clear, and specific vision. And he really was passionate about seeing that through. Sometimes, when you get to set, and a million things are going on, you don’t have time, a lot of first-time directors of features would let things go, this one shot, or this and that. But he stayed very true to his vision, and one of the best things he was passionate about doing was keeping it from Rose’s point of view. Taking time with those moments where she was alone, just as much as moments when she was with other people. Her face and her eyes, lead the whole movie, which is a testament to Parker. Those are the things that start to fall by the wayside typically when you lose time.

Since Parker is both the writer and the director, what kind of effect did that have on the collaboration process between you? Did you have a really direct and clear vision from him throughout?

Yeah, he had a very specific, clear vision every step of the way. I do most of my preparation, kind of alone. I build it by myself, I don’t think it changes the performance that you get necessarily, in a very obvious way, but a lot of that stuff I do on my own, and then you get there, and then you start working together.

Parker also mentioned that one of the elements he enjoyed bringing to the movie was that idea of “No one around you, trusting you”. Would you agree that that’s an important factor Rose has to live with, and how interesting was that to work on?

Yeah, that’s huge. I mean, it’s like everybody’s worst nightmare to be so certain of something and nobody believes you. I feel like that is one of the more disturbing feelings, it’s a feeling that probably women get very often. It’s a tough subject to contend with, and it’s terrifying. Watching her go through that, I think – I don’t know for a fact – will be anxiety-inducing for audiences.

Caitlin Stasey, who played the lead in Laura Hasn’t Slept is in this movie, what was she like to work with, and did she maybe give you any stories/memories from playing Rose herself? 

She’s lovely. She came in for a day to do that whole sequence. It’s a lot. It was a long, and challenging day, and she killed it. Once you see the movie, you’ll notice that the way that was done is cool because a lot of the times we are on one character’s face, and then on another character’s face. It’s very one character, then one character. Which is amazing, and it also makes it so that you do a lot of takes. It was a lot of takes to be so emotional, all that physical stuff, and it was cold! So yeah, she was amazing. We didn’t get to talk too much about the short, we were working a lot, and it was very work-focused when we were on set, because we had so much to get through. Hopefully, I’ll see her at something coming up, because now I want to chat socially, like “Hey!”

From Kyle Gallner and Jessie T. Usher alone there’s just a really great cast in this movie! Could you tell us a bit more about what the main cast were like to work with, and what you think they brought to Smile? 

Everyone brought something different. Like I said, I was spending most of my time acting alone, so when somebody got to come on set and be with me, I was just so grateful. Jessie was so fun, and cool, and had such a grounded, calming energy compared to my crazy anxiety. Robin Weigert has been in theatre in New York forever, and she’s lovely, also very calming, and it was also cool to work with such a legend in the New York theatre world. She is prolific in her acting. Kyle and I vibed from the second we met each other. I just think he is amazing. We just had so much fun, and he was a real support for me throughout. Jessie was only in a little bit at the beginning, well, throughout, but he was in this one location, so Kyle kind of saw it all through, and he was in a lot of the moments. He was a real leaning post for me, because it was hard. He is a wonderful actor.

Leading on from that, Parker said that filming in New Jersey went so well, that it ended up becoming a character in the movie. Do you also see it that way, and what did you yourself enjoy the most about working in that location?

Well, I’m from Manhattan in New York City, so it was kind of interesting and cool for me to shoot out there. The thing about New Jersey is it’s so suburban, if you go to Newark, where the airport is, which is around where we were shooting, first of all, it’s so depressing. Then you go a little further and there are all of these fancy, New England towns. I don’t know, it just has everything, and it had everything that we were looking for in terms of the locations informing what you see in the movie. I love that, because for me that’s a real way to hook into a story, a movie, and a character, by looking around and going “Where am I? What does this mean about who I am, where I grew up?”

Was there a particular location, or set piece that you found particularly rewarding to work on?  

The hospital bed. They built the interior of the hospital on a stage, specifically because Parker wanted a very specific colour palette. It’s just really cool, the way that it’s painted, the way that it’s shot, it’s very interesting. I don’t know how to explain it without giving it away, but there’s something very sinister about that hospital and the way that it’s put together. Even though it was on a stage, and people never like the stage portion because it’s not a location. Once you see the movie, you’ll realise that the hospital is really iconic.

Finally, why should STARBURST readers check out Smile? 

It’s just so fun to go and see a horror movie in the theatres. After this whole time that we haven’t been going to theatres, the only movies that are in theatres are these big Marvel movies and action movies. So I just think there’s something nostalgic and fun about going. I’m not promising you’re going to have fun! There’s something nostalgic and fun about going with your friends to a horror movie. Making a night of it. Seeing it on the big screen, screaming. If you go with a date, you can hold hands! It’s a good way to decide if you like a person. Horror movies are so nostalgic, but it’s really scary, so I don’t want to lead people astray as if it’s going to be so fun. But do it, go see it in the theatre, definitely don’t wait for streaming on this one, because it’s a theatre movie. It’s important that you do.

SMILE is in cinemas on September 28th. You can read our interview with writer/director Parker Finn here.

Writer/director Parker Finn has turned the DNA from his short movie Laura Hasn’t Slept into a full, studio-backed movie. Set in the heart of New Jersey, Smile tells the story of Dr Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) as she attempts to figure out why she is being stalked by extremely freaky and mysterious characters on a daily basis, and if the disturbing trailer is anything to go by, then we are truly in for an unsettling time. STARBURST caught up with Parker to dig into the creative process behind Smile and much more…

STARBURST: Can you tell us how the idea for Smile first came about and how it links with your short movie Laura Hasn’t Slept?

Parker Finn: When I had been in post-production on ‘Laura Hasn’t Slept’, this idea for a much larger movie started to form that was, I want to say, inspired by the short. It was not the exact same, but there were threads of DNA from the short that were running through this feature idea that became Smile. I wanted it to be something that was not just a direct adaptation, but it was also something new. It’s not a re-tread of the short, nor a simple expansion, but rather a fully formed, separate story that just used the short as a springboard. I was interested in exploring the horrors of some of the things that we carry around inside of us, and I wanted to meditate on what it might feel like to have your mind turning against you. At the same time, I wanted to lean into the fear of not being believed by the people closest to you. I think that’s a universal fear, I wanted to take all of that stuff and see if I could turn it into a film that felt like a constantly escalating nightmare.

Were there any major challenges in making that a reality?

No more challenges than what it takes to develop a full-length movie in general. As I said, it wasn’t about taking the short and expanding it, it was about taking the things from the short that really inspired me and fusing them into the DNA of the feature. I find that I can only be made to feel scared or afraid during a horror film if I truly care about the characters. I really wanted to start from a place that was character-driven, and I wanted to tell a story that succeeded first as a human character drama, which also has these incredibly frightening horror elements infused into it.

Taking it back to Laura Hasn’t Slept and your other short movie The Hidebehind; was there anything you learnt from the directing process on those two shorts, that you just really wanted to apply, or even expand upon in Smile?

For me, hopefully, you get better with every project. When you’re making shorts with either no budget or a modest budget, you’re really up against it with what you can pull off. You’re constantly trying to figure out how to punch above your budget and your schedule. I wanted to take those same things and apply it to a feature film. Even though I was working with Paramount, we were a monster-budgeted studio film, but I didn’t want to let that get in the way or dictate, what kind of film I was going to make. We really set out to stretch the budget, schedule, and everything that we could, in order to tell a story that feels much bigger than the sum of its parts. Then visually, I’m somebody who really leans into prep, I shot this, my entire script before we headed into production, I worked on it with my director of photography, and really started to hone it in so that we had this insanely strong plan going into production. Then it’s all about trying to hold on to that North Star that we’ve set for ourselves, and execute.

We did want to ask, why did the name of the movie change from Something’s Wrong with Rose to Smile? Is there a big story there, or was it just a quick decision?

Something’s Wrong with Rose was certainly a bit of a play on the original thing that started it all with Laura Hasn’t Slept. It felt very fun. I love the ‘70s, timeless feel of that. The further along we got into post-production, we started really feeling how the movie was playing, and what the people we were showing it to were gravitating towards and grabbing onto. Working with the studio, the title Smile rose to the surface. We all agreed that it was a really strong title that captured the essence of the movie.

How did Sosie Bacon end up becoming Rose, and can you tell us about what she’s been like to work with, and just what she brings to playing Rose?

I knew from the beginning that the entire film was going to hinge on the performance of Rose. When I first met Sosie, I was incredibly impressed with her as an actor, how emotionally intuitive she was, and how committed she was to her craft. We figured out that we had very similar tastes in storytelling, and the kind of characters that we were trying to bring to life. She has this amazing ability to draw an audience in through nuance, through these moments. Where a character is experiencing something extraordinary, and really, really outside the realm of normal, and yet she grounds it in this amazingly human performance. The degree of difficulty with what she had to pull off for this film is enormous. The character is in almost every scene and she’s operating at these extreme levels of anxiety, stress, and fear, and it’s this incredibly physical performance. When you’re performing, your body doesn’t know the difference between real and the performance that you are putting on. So, it’s very gruelling and exhausting, but she tackled it in this really mature, amazing way. I personally think that she’s given one of the most stunning debut lead performances in recent years, and I can’t wait for people to see it.

From Jessie T. Usher to Kal Penn to Kyle Gallner, there’s a really great cast in Smile! Could you elaborate on what the main cast members have been like to work with, and what you think they’ve brought to ‘Smile’?

I really wanted to put together a cast that was surprising for a horror film. Jessie T. Usher plays Trevor, who is Rose’s fiancé, and he has this incredible, natural charisma and coolness to him, and he’s able to lean into this sense of detachment and a looseness that was very important to the character. I’m really excited for people to see why. Kyle Gallner has been really crushing it in genre films for years, I’ve been a big fan of his for a long time. He’s done so many awesome movies. I wanted to bring him in, he has got this thing about him, where you instantly want to root for him, that was very important to his character Joel. What I really like is that he is able to use humour as a defence mechanism, which was very important for his character. I have also been such a fan of Kal Penn for a long time, I grew up on the first Harold and Kumar, I think that he’s so intelligent, but has such a great sense of humour, and he’s somebody that you just instantly want to like. He plays Rose’s boss and mentor in the film, Dr Morgan Desai, and I wanted to cast somebody who could lean into the intelligence of that character, but also be somebody that we definitely didn’t want to be disappointed in us! That was very important. Kal was such a pleasure to work with. Caitlin Stasey was in Laura Hasn’t Slept and I was so impressed with working with her the first time around. When it came to Smile, there’s a role that Caitlin plays, which is not the same, but it’s parallel to the short film, and yet it sort of turns the whole thing on its head. There’s nobody else I could have imagined in the role, I wrote the role specifically for her, she came in, and really took everyone’s breath away with her performance.

Can you tell us about the main filming process for Smile? Where was it shot, and what was it like to put together over a pandemic?

We shot in New Jersey, in some of the cities. We were in Newark, Jersey City, and Hoboken, but we also got out into some of the suburbs and some of the more rural areas as well. We shot New Jersey for New Jersey and it quietly plays a character in the film. I love that there’s both an amazing industrial feel to it, but there’s also all of this incredible greenery, old rusty bridges, these very cool rivers, and just all of this amazing landscape there. We were very lucky because when we were in prep, everything was still green but we knew that leading up to our production that we might get lucky and catch fall just beginning to start, and we did. The leaves began to turn colours, it instilled this sense of autumn into the film. I think it’s this really wonderful thing, which I was very excited to be able to capture on-screen. We were shooting during COVID, and it definitely could have been a hindrance, but we had an excellent COVID team on set, who kept us safe while also making sure it was the least intrusive it could possibly be. I’m very grateful that we had a successful shoot during the pandemic.

You’re the writer and director on Smile, what is it like to balance these two titles as you work, and by being in both of these major roles, did you feel like you had the freedom to do what you wanted?

When you’re spending other people’s money, you never really have the full freedom to do whatever you want! But my partners at Temple Hill and Paramount were wonderfully supportive, and they really got behind the film in a major way. I’m incredibly grateful, I wasn’t sure what to expect when entering the studio machine, but I got to tell this story the way I really wanted to, and we were all on the same page from the beginning. For me, writing and directing go so hand in hand, I write things the way that I want to direct them. They become different stages of the same process. There’s a really interesting element when you’re both the writer and director where you’re writing all of these things that are going to be incredibly difficult to pull off, so by the time you get into prep, you’re cursing the writer, but it’s also yourself! That knowledge of anything that you put down on the page, it’s also going to be up to me to figure out how to do it. You keep that in mind, but for me, it’s always about trying to stretch the budget, the schedule, and punch beyond our weight class. I really like trying to set impossible tasks. Trying to convince actors that they can do impossible things, but also trying to convince my department head, my crew, producers, everybody that we can do all of these things that might seem insurmountable. If we all create a really solid plan and lock arms, then we’ll figure out how to do it!

Based on the trailer alone, and looking at those haunting smiles, We’re already getting a really freaky tone! How did you want this movie to feel for the viewer overall, and how did you go about capturing it?

Smile is going to surprise audiences while also respecting their intelligence. It’s intensely psychological, but it’s also shockingly visceral and physical. It’s got these big frightening moments that are hopefully going to cause the audiences to jump out of their seats and scream. But it also leans into this creeping sense of dreadful unease that I think, if we’ve done our jobs right, then it’s going to linger with the audience long after the credits roll.

How do you go about capturing an unsettling smile? Because in the trailer, the actors have done an incredible job at creating a disturbing atmosphere. I really felt like there must have been some kind of interesting process behind it?  

I chose to use a smile to represent the evil in the film because I think of the strength of the inherent contradiction. Smiles are meant to be these warm, friendly gestures. They’re very inviting, and it’s something very primal in us as human beings. We learn how to smile as babies before we even learn how to speak, and I wanted to see if I could take that and flip it on its head, and allow the evil to wear a smile as a mask. To hide something really horrible and malevolent behind it, to use a smile as the promise of a threat. When it came to capturing them, I knew that from the beginning, I wanted them to be true human performances. I didn’t want to lean into visual effects, CGI trickery, or anything like that, I knew that if I could capture them through human performance then it would really lean into the eerie, uncanniness of it all. The way it actually began was with myself, before I showed anybody, just trying different stuff in the mirror, which felt quite silly while doing it! Then working with each of the actors, and I think somebody walking past might have found it quite humorous, we would stand a few feet away from each other and start smiling back and forth, honing in the exact smile. Once we got it right, it’s all about the unnaturally wide, way-too-toothy smile. The real trick is having these dead eyes that go along with it. Then it was really all about how we captured it, with the lenses we chose, the lighting, the colour palette, the blocking, and the stillness that was often involved with it, and really bringing in all of the other elements of sound and music, or sometimes silence. All of those things together create this really freaky alchemy that I can’t wait for audiences to experience.

How fun has it been for you to watch the reactions to the trailer?

It’s been really wild, it’s been incredible to see all of the reactions to the trailer. I’ve been in the theatre a few times myself, as a viewer to see other movies, and seeing the trailer play in front of a packed house, and nobody knows that I’m sitting in the theatre with them. Just hearing the audience physically and audibly recoil, react, and scream to parts of the trailer has been nothing short of amazing. I’m in that zone right now, where the movie is finished, but it hasn’t come out yet. It holds many mysteries that I’m excited for the audience to discover. It’s going to surprise them in ways, that I hope nobody will see coming.

Finally, why should STARBURST readers check out Smile?

Smile is a really, really intense, unique movie. It’s going to scare you, it’s going to shock you, it’s going to make you want to cover your eyes. It’s this mysterious, nightmarish, rollercoaster of an experience that as soon as the credits roll, you’re going to want to turn and discuss it with your friends and debate some of the mysteries from inside it. There’s nothing that can prepare you for what’s going to happen.

SMILE is released in cinemas on September 28th. You can follow Parker on Twitter.

A muted, gorgeous, and thoughtful film about what it means to be alive, After Yang is Kogonada’s sophomore feature and stars The Umbrella Academy’s Justin H. Min , Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Haley Lu Richardson, and Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja. Ahead of After Yang’s release, STARBURST sat down with writer-director Kogonada and actor Justin H. Min to discuss constructions of Asianness, the nature of memory, and familial connection.

STARBURST : When you first read the short story ‘Saying Goodbye to Yang’ by Alexander Weinstein, what inspired you most to develop it into a feature?

Kogonada : There was just a real, lo-fi mood about it; it took place in the future but was so deeply grounded in its scale. It wasn’t about the end of the world and some hero trying to save the city from mass destruction. It was just about a family trying to get through a day. In the short story, it really was just one day in the life of a father trying to fix this robot. And initially, he’s annoyed, but by the end of the day, he’s reminded of his own memories of Yang and that creates a grief in him that he didn’t even know he had.

I was also drawn to the fact that – and the writer wasn’t Asian – but this idea that the robot was a construct of Asianness immediately resonated with me. Justin and I have been talking about how we feel about the identity of that kind of construct of Asianness. I knew I’d get to explore that, as well as fatherhood, connection, and memory. It had all the right ingredients for a project I wanted to explore.

And for you, Justin, at which point in reading the script did you decide you wanted to be involved?

Justin H. Min : From the title page. I don’t say that in jest, because the title page had Kogonada’s name on it, and I was a huge fan of his visual essays. I had also watched Columbus immediately when it came out, and I was just such a fan of his directing work. So, to be able to see what his second feature would be was really exciting. Then as soon as I finished it, it was like – you know those fears you have when you read something by someone you admire, and you’re afraid you’re going to be let down? Well, it exceeded my expectations. I immediately told my team, “I need to audition for this.” And that’s how the process began.

What kind of conversations did the two of you have about the character of Yang and what you wanted to do with this film?

Justin H. Min : In many ways, Kogonada gave me a lot of ownership of the character, which I really appreciated. Of course, one of my first questions to him after getting the part was, how “robot” is this character? What do you need me to do? And he was like, “What do you think?” [laughs]. And I realise now, in retrospect, that it was very strategic. He wanted to keep the mystery of being for himself and the film. And so, it was just a constant exploration for me.

And in my preparation work, I think the thing I focused most on was Yang’s relationship with each of the characters. Each one I considered to be unique. I wanted the grief to feel real, and for that to happen, the connection and love between Yang and the others need to feel real – especially in the flashback scenes. So, I knew that I needed to do the work within myself of creating all these memories with each of the characters that aren’t seen in the film so that the flashbacks don’t feel like empty moments pulled from the void.

A lot of classic sci-fi feasts on Orientalism and Asian stereotypes, which often manifests as those Asian characters being denied an internal life. Justin, how did that awareness affect your acting choices and Kogonada, why did you hold back from explaining the character further?

Justin H. Min : It’s not something that I wanted to think about. I wanted to do the most accurate portrayal of this character and have that be separate from the conversation of what this film represents for Asian-Americans and the Asian-Americans that have been represented in previous sci-fi films. I just didn’t want any of that noise in my head. I just wanted to portray the character that I thought Yang was, and so much of it is written on the page; it’s such a beautifully written script, and there was so much room for me to play and to bring life to this character.

And you know, it’s so interesting because I understand the criticism – not even exclusively in the sci-fi world, but generally – about Asian-Americans in film and TV being silenced and silent characters. But it’s also interesting because, in a way, we have talked about the beauty of silence and how powerful silence is. For me, the moments of quiet and silence in Yang are some of his most powerful moments and how he takes the most agency. And so, for me, that felt like a redemptive thing: for him to be silent at times and to be the observer. Because it’s only through Yang’s eyes that Jake can have this revelation about his life.

Kogonada : I think it’s very well observed. I think the sci-fi future world is so much a kind of Orientalism and aesthetic. And we talk about us having to contend with our own construct of Asianness; when you’re separated from your homeland and lived in a largely Western world, part of what we have to navigate is the way Asianness has been represented to us. I’ve been surrounded by a kind of Orientalism – which is different when you are Asian.

I was aware of it as we were building out this world, and the fact is, Yang is a manufactured idea of Asianness, right? And that world, we see a kind of Asian aesthetic. I didn’t want to strip that away either; I certainly wanted to keep the complexity of what we have to navigate through in this future world. We see some of the influences of Asia, the conflicts of Asianness, and the allusions to war in the East.

And another thing is the perception sometimes that Asians are robotic. The thing that I trusted and thought was nicely ironic is that our Asian robot might have the richest interior life of anyone in the film. Part of the reason why I would throw those questions back to Justin is that I really trusted him. I knew in my bones that he was the right person to play Yang, just by the first audition that he gave – and that’s because he was playing him not as a robot but as this dedicated older brother. And he has this certain quality, this soulfulness, that I knew would resist any idea of a robotic Asianness.

It’s also interesting that, on paper, this is the story of Jake reconnecting with himself and his family, yet the film centres on Yang’s experiences and memories. Since that wasn’t the case in the short story, can you talk us through reframing that narrative for the film?

Kogonada : Right. The short story really is about Jake’s memory and these flashback sequences of him remembering a moment, but I love the idea of those memories functioning not just as flashbacks, which are sometimes offered as a certainty. I also wanted to play with memory so that when we experience memory through Jake, those memories feel elusive and repetitive – repetitive in the sense that it’s refining what was real and the subjectivity of that.

And the thing is, when the film begins, we don’t know Yang at all. So, when he malfunctions, we don’t have any feeling of loss. It has to be the work of his memories to create a presence for him where the viewer feels that absence – in much the same way as Jake has to evolve from seeing Yang as an appliance, as something that gives him time not to really parent.

It’s one of those stories where you might have imagined a typical narrative where the father is going to be heroic and save this robot for his daughter, but at the end of the day, it really is Yang saving Jake. Just by engaging with Yang’s memory, he is being challenged and awakened.

Throughout the film, you also suggest a broader socio-political context to this world, with a war in China happening on the edges of the screen. Why hint at it and then not address it head-on?

Kogonada : Originally, I was going to reveal even less because I wanted the window of the world to be presented through a family. You know, I often think that sci-fi is always about the world at large and a significant threat to it and the most heroic figures navigating that. I think I originally had written in the script that we will only feel the world through the sliver of a window, maybe in a reflection; at one point, I had it really contained within the house and maybe having the car. But then I felt we had to offer just a hint, but it was about the family.

In sci-fi, I always wish I would get to know what everyday life was like. If I’m watching the biggest blockbuster, I’ll see a background figure and wonder what it’s like for them to get through a day. So, given the opportunity to work in that sci-fi genre, I wanted to feel it from a domestic space. Because the truth is, there are wars and pandemics going on right now, but how we experience them is just very mundane. So, it’s not that the broader context was insignificant – it shaped everything we saw, but I wanted to experience the world through a domestic lens.

Is that also why you approached the design elements of this world in a much more organic manner? Usually, with a sci-fi setting, it’s grandiose backgrounds and sprawling buildings, but After Yang keeps its world very muted.

Kogonada : Yes. And it also tells us about the broader world. We had a backstory where a cataclysmic climate event had occurred, and where this family lives now is a rebuilt city. So, this future has to integrate with nature, or life will no longer be sustainable. That was very much a part of the organic construct of this one house, so its design tells you what you need to know about the broader world.

Justin H. Min : Just to piggyback off that, I will just add that as an actor, it was so refreshing to read something that took place in a potentially distant future where half of the script wasn’t explaining everything. As an actor, you are often given scripts set in a different world or universe, and sometimes half the script is expository, telling us why things are the way they are. I love how immersive this film is, from the moment you get thrown into it. It’s like, this is how it is, and it won’t be explained. What’s important here is the relationships between these characters, and I love that so much.

And on a lighter note, one of the film’s most enjoyable scenes is the dance number through the opening credits. How did you prepare and balance the dynamism of that sequence with the film’s gentle tone, ensuring the two didn’t jar?

Justin H. Min : The dance was traumatic [laughs]. We had an incredible choreographer; we had a few days before we started filming to learn the choreography in the studio. You know, dance is so vulnerable, it’s embarrassing, it’s all of these emotions – but it’s also an incredible icebreaker. And that sequence was one of the first things that we filmed, and so to have that helped jumpstart the film and create cohesion within our family unit. It was amazing because we took that and ran with it for the rest of filming. And yeah, it was just very adrenaline filled. Each group would go to their own corners, and it felt like a dance competition. It was a lot of fun, and I’m so glad it opened the film.

Kogonada : To answer your question about it potentially being jarring: it is. I think I knew when I wrote it that I wanted this hard cut. And I knew, because it was going to be part of the credit sequence, that it would already be a little bit suspended – all credits sequences are. I wanted it close to the front for that reason. I think if it were in the middle of the film, it would be jarring in a different way. Sometimes that works, but for me, it’s not only about seeing this family in sync but all these other families attempting to be in sync with each other. That’s what all families strive for, to be functional. And as we all know, there are more dysfunctional families than functional ones. There was something beautiful about seeing these families try to be in sync, only to begin then to see the dissolution of one. Though really, the choreographer had the best description of the dance’s role in the film: she said it’s like a pop of confetti, and the rest of the film is spent watching the confetti fall to the ground. I think that’s really well put.

After Yang will be released in cinemas and on Sky Cinema from 22nd September.