THE FILM
TITLE: The After
RELEASE DATE: 10 Aug 2023
WATCH DATE: 31 Jan 2024
TYPE: live-action short film
ACCESS: streaming on Netflix
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THE PEOPLE
DIRECTOR: Misan Harriman
PRODUCER: David Oyelowo, Nicky Bentham
WRITER: Misan Harriman, John Julius Schwabach
ACTORS: David Oyelowo
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THE STORY
RUNTIME: 19m
STORYLINE: after tragically losing his wife and young daughter, a man struggles to make sense of loss, grief, and mourning while working as a rideshare driver
GENRE/THEMES: drama, tragedy, loss, grief
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THE CRITIQUE
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
David Oyelowo brings intense emotion to this short film. It’s a short but deep dive into tragedy, and how a man handles the loss. One day at a time. As a rideshare driver, we see little glimpses into everyone else’s life through his eyes, while the agony looms inside of him. Placing that character in that job is a brilliant film design choice to give us that contrast.
As a short film, we don’t get an extended look into this man’s life. And with minimal lines, his heavy emotions carry the story. It’s a lot to manage in 20 minutes of runtime, but Oyelowo portrays the spikes of grief and mourning well. Even still, the subject matter/storyline would have been better suited to a feature-length film. It is the story of many people and deserves a deeper exploration of grief, loss, and mourning that can lead an identifying viewer to some comfort and resolution.
It is still a strong short film though. Its Oscar nomination is essentially solely for Oyelowo’s performance, so I’m not sure it’s competitive enough to win against the other nominees. If you have tragically lost a family member, the first few minutes might be disturbing for you… but seeing a character process the loss and grief through the rest of the film might be quite powerful for you. … remember that God is with you in your grief, as he knows what it’s like to lose a son. You are not alone. He is with you in the loss, and he is with you in what happens after.
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THE RECEPTION
NOMINATIONS
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THE IMPRESSION
IN A SINGLE WORD: emotional
MOST STRIKING ELEMENT: emotions
REWATCH: no
RATING: 2.5 // 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
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