Jenna Ortega plays an artificial friend in need in ‘Klara and the Sun’
Jenna Ortega Takes on an Unusual Role in Taika Waititi’s ‘Klara and the Sun’
Bharatmorningnews.com – A humanoid companion searching for purpose sits at the centre of Klara and the Sun, Taika Waititi’s new dystopian drama starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams. The film, which premiered at the London Film Festival on Thursday, imagines a future shaped by rapid technological change while returning to enduring questions about connection, grief and what it means to care for another person.
Adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel, the story follows Klara, an Artificial Friend played by Ortega. She is an android designed to offer companionship and ward off loneliness, but she is already an older model with limited prospects. Her situation changes when Josie, a teenager, and Josie’s mother choose to take her home.
Although Klara is built as a machine, her outlook is defined by curiosity, faith and an unusual devotion to sunlight. She believes the sun possesses restorative powers, a conviction that becomes especially important as she enters a home shadowed by loss and unanswered questions. Her presence gradually exposes the emotional fractures within the family while also challenging assumptions about who is capable of empathy.
A Future That Reflects Present-Day Fears
The film is set in a sophisticated future society that has been deeply affected by technology. One character refers to a third world war sparked by the misuse of the internet, placing the intimate story of Klara and Josie within a wider landscape of social unease. Rather than presenting technology simply as a menace, the drama considers how people use it, depend on it and sometimes allow it to replace more direct forms of human contact.
For Ortega, that balance between futuristic imagery and familiar emotions was a major part of the project’s appeal. The actor said the film’s themes feel particularly relevant because its speculative setting does not erase the emotional struggles people already recognise.
“It felt like a very timely story,” Ortega said at the premiere. “To see it put in a futuristic world and see that we still struggle with the same things and the answer’s kind of always in one another and listening to one another, I thought it was a really nuanced, thoughtful way of putting it.”
That perspective captures one of the adaptation’s key ideas: technological advancement may alter the shape of daily life, but it does not automatically solve isolation, bereavement or the need to be understood. Klara’s programming gives her a clear purpose—to prevent loneliness—yet the film suggests that companionship cannot always be reduced to a task performed by a device.
Waititi Brings Drama to Ishiguro’s Novel
Waititi directed, co-wrote and produced the film. Best known for blending humour with emotionally charged storytelling, he was drawn to the way Ishiguro’s novel places people, artificial intelligence and the natural world in conversation with one another. In this version, Klara’s perspective offers a way into the damaged family at the heart of the story.
“She’s a machine who comes into the world of a broken family and somehow teaches them the importance of being human,” Waititi said.
The director sees the film as relevant at a moment when public conversations about artificial intelligence, devices and online life continue to intensify. His interpretation does not rely solely on alarm about new technology. Instead, it asks viewers to think about attention: where it goes, what interrupts it and what may be lost when people become more absorbed by screens than by those around them.
“It’s vital right now because we’re now in a moment where we’re maybe on the cusp of losing control of our relationship with technology,” Waititi said.
He added that he wanted the film to encourage audiences to step away from their devices and focus on the people nearby, not out of fear but because digital distractions can pull attention away from meaningful encounters.
Humour Within a More Serious Film
Waititi has included touches of his familiar humour, but he has described Klara and the Sun as his most dramatic work to date. The approach aims to retain the emotional weight and philosophical depth that define Ishiguro’s book, while allowing occasional lighter moments to emerge naturally from the characters and their circumstances.
“There’s some funny bits there, but it’s probably my most dramatic film,” Waititi said.
The cast also includes Natasha Lyonne, Steve Buscemi, Aran Murphy and Rachel House. With Ortega portraying an Artificial Friend whose own sense of hope appears more vivid than that of many people around her, the film uses science-fiction elements to examine recognisably human concerns.
Klara and the Sun is scheduled for global release on October 21. Its central premise may belong to an imagined future, but its questions are immediate: Can technology ease loneliness without replacing genuine closeness? What does care look like when it is programmed? And can a machine’s attempt to understand humanity reveal something people have overlooked about themselves?
Related Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jenna Ortega plays an artificial friend?Jenna Ortega plays an artificial friend is the main topic of this guide. The article explains the context, practical details, and next steps readers should understand.
Why does Jenna Ortega plays an artificial friend matter?Jenna Ortega plays an artificial friend matters because readers are looking for a useful answer, not just a short summary. Good content should match search intent and help them decide what to do next.