Kazuo Ishiguro on ‘Klara and the Sun’

Kazuo Ishiguro examines the intersection of technology and human emotion in his novel *Klara and the Sun*, which features an artificial friend navigating a stratified society defined by gene-edited "lifted" children. The narrative explores themes of faith and isolation through the perspective of a solar-powered robot that views the sun as a divine protector. Ishiguro reflects on his own background, including his childhood in post-atomic Nagasaki and the influence of his father’s engineering career on his creative process. Separately, the film *La Bola Negra* receives a critical assessment for its maximalist attempt to depict gay male desire across three historical periods. Despite its thematic ambition and focus on the legacy of Federico García Lorca, the film suffers from disjointed narrative structures and uneven performances that undermine its potential as a queer cinema monument.