Jenna Ortega's "Klara And The Sun" Premieres Amidst Harsh Reviews
The actress dazzled on the red carpet in Rome as her latest film, based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, garnered significant critical backlash.
Jenna Ortega graced the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival on Saturday for the premiere of her new movie, "Klara And The Sun." Ortega, 24, the star of "Wednesday," attended the event at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica alongside the film's director, Taika Waititi.
The premiere in Rome comes as "Klara And The Sun" has been met with a wave of negative reviews. The film, adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, features Ortega in the titular role of Klara, a robot designed to combat loneliness. The story unfolds in an alternative future where advancements in genetic engineering have created distinct social classes.
The film had its initial premiere on Thursday at the BFI London Film Festival and has since accumulated a string of lukewarm reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, "Klara And The Sun" currently holds a critic score of 20%, described as "rotten," based on 10 reviews. Publications including The Telegraph, The Times, and The Guardian have awarded the film one-star ratings.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described Waititi's adaptation as "a sentimental and laborious mess," asserting that the filmmaker transformed Ishiguro's AI narrative into "a twee, tiresome tale of love and grief." Variety's Guy Lodge echoed this sentiment, calling the film "calamitous" and noting that "Jenna Ortega tries hard to illuminate this misbegotten Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation, but Waititi's decision to play it for strained, whimsical comedy is ruinous."
Tim Robey of The Telegraph characterized the movie as "mind-meltingly dreadful."
"Klara And The Sun" is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on October 23.