Klara and the Sun

Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 novel, his first after the Nobel Prize, is narrated by Klara, an Artificial Friend whose reverence for the sun borders on religion. Taika Waititi's adaptation, written with Dahvi Waller of Mad Men, casts Jenna Ortega as Klara and Mia Tharia as Josie, the ailing girl who chooses her. Amy Adams plays Josie's mother, a woman still marked by an earlier loss. Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne appear in supporting roles. The Sony Pictures release was filmed in New Zealand in 2024 and then spent close to 19 months in the editing room before reaching theaters.