Klara and the Sun (the movie) hits theaters on October 23, 2026, with a PG-13 rating, and despite having Taika Waititi in the director's chair and Jenna Ortega on the poster, it is a heavy, slow-burn sci-fi drama about childhood illness, genetic class divides, and parental grief rather than a quirky family adventure.
Set to release in theaters on October 23, 2026, Klara and the Sun (the movie) is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence, and strong language. Based on Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, the film stars Jenna Ortega as a solar-powered android bought to keep a critically ill teenager company, alongside Amy Adams as the girl's grieving, desperate mother. It lands best for mature tweens and teens (13+) ready for a quiet, existential story; younger viewers looking for a warm robot movie will do much better with Robot Dreams or The Iron Giant.
Adapted by screenwriter Dahvi Waller from Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 novel, the story takes place in a future where wealthy children are genetically edited—or "lifted"—for enhanced academic ability. The side effect of that genetic engineering is a fictional, potentially fatal illness.
Jenna Ortega plays Klara, an "Artificial Friend" (AF) who runs on solar power and watches the world with naive, religious devotion to the sun. Amy Adams plays Chrissie, a mother who buys Klara as a companion for her sick teenage daughter, Josie (Mia Tharia), whileSimon Baker, Natasha Lyonne, and Steve Buscemi round out the cast.
If your kid knows Waititi from Hunt for the Wilderpeople or Thor: Ragnarok, expect a major tonal shift. While early rating board notes from the BBFC confirm a few flashes of Waititi's signature humor—like Klara comically mistaking a human hug for sex, and a quick joke about a robot lacking genitals—the emotional core of the 116-minute film is mortality and what a parent will do when facing the loss of a child.
The Motion Picture Association gave the film a PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence, and strong language, while the UK's BBFC broke down the specific scenes that push the intensity up.
- Violence and robot injury: The physical violence is directed at machines, which lets the movie get away with startling imagery under a PG-13 banner. In one scene, a character repeatedly whips a robot with a belt; in another, someone tries to drown an android. An accident leaves a human-looking robot with dismembered limbs, and artificial fluid resembling blood spurts from a robot's neck while it glitches out. The robots don't register human pain, which makes the scenes play more like unsettling body-horror than action-movie violence.
- Illness and bereavement: The hardest material in the film is emotional. Josie's ongoing illness causes her to pass out and deteriorate, and the central plot turns on a dark, desperate backup plan her mother is secretly building in case Josie dies.
- Language and substances: Expect infrequent strong language, including at least one f-bomb alongside milder profanity ("shit," "piss," "crap," "damn," "hell"). Characters also drink alcohol and smoke futuristic cigarettes.
Because the story is told through Klara's observant, childlike perspective, it is easy to mistake it for a tween movie. In practice, it fits high schoolers and thoughtful middle schoolers who enjoy philosophical science fiction and don't mind a story that sits with sadness. If your family is navigating middle school movie picks or looking for more options for older teens, our high school digital guide breaks down what lands best in those years.
If your kid is mainly here for the "robot learning to love" premise or wants a great sci-fi watch without the dread of terminal illness, try one of these instead:
Brad Bird's animated classic tackles the exact same question—whether a machine can choose its own soul—without the creepy genetic-caste subplots. It has real stakes and Cold War tension, making it a staple on our best movies for kids list that still holds up for a 12-year-old.
For a kid who can handle a poignant, bittersweet story about companionship and moving on, this dialogue-free animated film about a dog and his mail-order robot in 1980s Manhattan is a masterpiece. It treats friendship with total honesty and zero condescension.
If your teen is intrigued by the trailer, reading the book (or listening to the audiobook together on a drive) before heading to the theater changes the experience. On the page, you spend the whole time inside Klara's head, piecing together the creepy parts of this society before she understands them herself. You can also explore more sci-fi books for teens if they love this lane.
If you take an older tween or teen to see this on opening weekend, the movie tees up a phenomenal car-ride conversation about how we treat artificial intelligence in real life.
In the story, Klara is designed to be endlessly accommodating, observant, and devoted to her human. Meanwhile, some of the humans around her treat androids like disposable appliances—or worse, punching bags. Ask your kid: Do you think a machine could ever copy a specific person well enough to replace them, or is there something a chatbot or android can never capture?
If your kid uses chatbots at home, it also opens the door to talking about how real-world AI is built to agree with us and mimic connection, which we dig into on our Kids and AI page and our guide to technology in schools.
Q: What is the age rating for Klara and the Sun (2026)?
Klara and the Sun (the movie) is officially rated PG-13 by the MPA for thematic elements, some violence, and strong language. It releases in theaters on October 23, 2026, with a runtime of 116 minutes.
Q: Is Klara and the Sun okay for a 10-year-old?
For most 10-year-olds, the movie will be both too slow and too heavy. Even though the violence only happens to robots, scenes of androids being whipped with a belt, dismembered in an accident, and spurting artificial blood are jarring, and the central plot revolves around a terminally ill child and a grieving parent.
Q: Why is Klara and the Sun rated PG-13?
Beyond at least one use of the f-word and some milder swearing, the PG-13 comes from disturbing violence against human-looking androids and heavy themes of death, bereavement, bullying, and genetic class inequality.
Q: How closely does the Klara and the Sun movie follow the book?
Directed by Taika Waititi and written by Dahvi Waller, the film keeps the core premise of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel intact: a solar-powered android is bought by a mother to care for her genetically "lifted" and chronically ill teenage daughter. Waititi appears to inject a few more overt jokes than the very quiet book, but the dark ethical questions remain front and center.
Don't let the Jenna Ortega casting and Taika Waititi's name fool you into expecting a quirky, comedic romp. When Klara and the Sun (the movie) opens on October 23, treat it as an adult-leaning sci-fi drama to bring a thoughtful teen to, and keep a tissue and a good post-movie question ready for the drive home. For lighter weekend watches, check out our best movies for kids list or build a custom family movie night list
.