We are left with memories, only memories!

After Yang (2022)

Written & Direction: Kogonada

When we show our respect to elders and the departed, we are not offering to revere the physical body or the 'soul'. We are showing reverence for the memory of their lives. Besides reenacting the good times we had spent together, we give due recognition to the memories they imbibed through their time on Earth. At the end of the day, that is all we have or bring back, the data of events. It is assumed that we humans learn our lessons from situations. By showing our salutations, we hope some of these lessons will be transferred to us at a metaphysical level. Everybody's learnt experience is different, and we respect that. We are in no position to judge what was done or should have been done.

This seems to be the message at the end of this sombre and sedate sci-fi drama. It is set sometime in the future when humanoids do domestic help and nannying. The cloning of humans has entered the mainstream. The job of providing domestic support is done by companies delving into AI. 

Jake is the protagonist, a somewhat emotionally detached man who runs a speciality tea show which does not really have a roaring business. His nihilistic view of life worsens when his helper, Yang, an AI who had been a great help in caring for his child, malfunctions. 

Jake and Kyra's daughter, Mika, are adopted. Her Oriental features, compared to her parents, Occidental and Negroides, make her a troubled child. Yang was there to help her fit in, using the analogy of bud grafting, where a stem from another branch is transplanted upon another tree. 

Yang was a re-conditioned model. Even though he is still under warranty, the company that sold him went bust. The franchise holder suggests trading in for a newer model. Jake wanted to keep Yang as Mika was yearning for him. So, Jake had to source clandestine avenues to fix him up. Unfortunately, Yang was beyond repair. A chip suspected to be spyware from China was, however, found implanted in him. 

Long story short, spyware was a banned memory chip developed to improve humanoid performance. Due to privacy issues, or was outlawed.

Interpretation of the chip revealed an avalanche of fond memories that Yang had accumulated throughout his existence, even during his previous stint as a carer.

We forget how much so many people in our lives help us in our day to day. We also forget how much we make up our helper's life as much as they did ours. Those umpteen days and nights they spent with us cannot mean nothing. It is not merely a business transaction. The human touch and care that is transferred mean more than that.

The small things that we do in our lives, no matter how trivial, when crystalline in the moment of time via photo images from a pillar for us to appreciate the life and times that pass us by.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Another time, another life time.

It was an informal meeting planned in haste. A varsity mate, now residing overseas, after his ‘tanah air’ had turned her back on him, had made a lightning trip back. In a jiffy, a few friends on each other’s speed dial decided to flock together at an upmarket Chinese restaurant. Some of them have not met each other for more than 40 years. 

TS walked in into the restaurant with a sense of awe. He was amazed to see what he saw through the ceiling-level glass window that overlooked the skyline of Damansara. 

“Wow, just look at that,” he said. “40 years ago, I worked as a construction worker during my semester breaks there. This whole area was just lush greenery then. Look at it now!”

“My boss then kept telling me the developer’s mega plan to have multi-tied buildings, shopping complex, underground parking, hotels, and more.”

“It had materialised right before our eyes. They are pure visionaries. Imagine 40 years ago, they knew how the country would look now.”

That soon opened the floodgates of everybody with their life journeys, the aches, pains, heartbreaks and family life. 

Generally, all could hold their thrones, praising themselves for a well-lived life. Reminiscing the pathetic state and very humble beginnings that they had started their lives, they can pat themselves on the back for work well done. 

If we think our parents have suffered much for our futures, others are obviously coming from more hole trodden boats of life. Our achievements appear a pale comparison to theirs. 
Fast forward to the future; these people are in the twilight of their lives. They want to leave a legacy behind for the generation next to follow. They tell them of their struggles, endeavours and achievements. Gen-Xs and millennials are not interested. To them, these are all just bedtime stories that grannies tell their grandchildren to bore them to sleep. They cannot fathom their parents being someone so bold. They have only heard their parents talk each other down and denigrate each other in their day-to-day dealings. 

“Oh, how absentminded your father is!” or “Oh! How extravagant your mother is” are all they have heard. Nothing positive as they run the other down. How can they be who they claim to be? Unbelievable!

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.