Klara and the Sun Opens as Josie’s Fate Remains Uncertain

Taika Waititi’s film Klara and the Sun opened in theaters on October 23, 2026, bringing the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel to audiences amid sharply negative reviews and a limited-release launch. The science-fiction drama follows Klara, an Artificial Friend played by Jenna Ortega, who is bought by Chrissie, played by Amy Adams, to accompany her teenage daughter Josie, played by Mia Tharia. Klara is an older, solar-powered model whose unusual mannerisms and belief in the sun shape her efforts to help Josie. The film’s story turns on Josie’s worsening health and her mother’s fear of losing another daughter. The plot reveals that Josie underwent a procedure intended to make her exceptionally intelligent, but it left her with a life-threatening condition. Chrissie has also considered using Klara as the basis for an artificial version of Josie, a plan that comes to light and is ultimately abandoned. Josie’s fate remains unresolved at the end. Klara believes her friend recovered and left for school, but another Artificial Friend suggests Josie may have died. The closing scenes show Klara, whose mind has deteriorated, reunited with other AFs at the beach. The film does not...