Customer Reviews

Afterlife

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Afterlife is a study about the great question, "What happens when we die?" Answers to this question are examined in a study of the near-death experience (NDE) and the inescapable conclusion is reached, that there is no need to fear death: There is an afterlife. This is a profound statement and this documentary DVD presents evidence which director Paul Perry and researchers Raymond Moody and Jeffrey Long believe will support this conclusion.

Beginning with Mr. Paul Perry's own NDE, "Afterlife" examines the phenomenon of near death experiences beginning with a sampling of the general public in a series of on-the-street interviews, that describe a wide range of beliefs, varying from heaven and hell, to beliefs of a nothingless-like void; like the switching off of a light and a stark emptiness and non-awareness that follows. This is, I believe, a good sample of US residents that show how very few of us have any proof to substantiate our beliefs and conclusions about the afterlife. Most of us have hunch or a feeling that we believe in, often coinciding with elements of the Christian faith.

Noted experts in the field, Dr. Raymond Moody (author of Life After Life: The Investigation of a Phenomenon--Survival of Bodily Death, and Glimpses of Eternity (Mind Body Spirit)) and Dr. Jeffrey long (Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences), are interviewed, and their work is reviewed regarding NDE and the conclusions that they have reached, based upon hundreds of case reviews. Dr. Long, for example, believes that his "Nine Lines of Evidence" clearly demonstrate survival of consciousness beyond the death of the physical body. Dr. Moody concludes that in his experience, learning to love is the message conveyed.
In this entertaining and informative DVD, six NDE cases are examined, and the experiencers are interviewed. Some of them describe the commonly talked about LIGHT at the end of the tunnel, a pure, beautiful, loving and healing light. All but one, felt a longing to stay in this light and did not want to return to their physical body.

What does this video documentary teach us about dying? By means of those who have almost died, it can be concluded that:

1.) There is no longer a fear of dying
2.) A transformational process occurs following the NDE, in which the meaning of life is questioned. Many go on to become of service to others.
3.) Being out of the physical body, they perceive themselves as having a spiritual or light body.
4.) A sense of heightened awareness is present during the NDE.
5.) A beautiful loving light is encountered.
6.) Reports of seeing deceased family members are common.
7.) Encounters with a spiritual beings are often described.
8.) The most important thing that we must do ,is to learn to love.

Along with Dr. Long, Dr. Moody, the "Father of near-death experiences," is prominently featured in this documentary. He first coined the term NDE in his 1976 book, Life After Life. His recent work involving Shared Death Experiences (nicely discussed in Glimpses of Eternity) describes the reports of bystanders who experience some of the key elements of the NDE that are happening to their departing loved one. This demonstrates that elements described in the NDE, are not simply hallucinations induced in a dying brain, but actual events during the death or near-death process. As a result of many years of research, he has come to realize that what we learn from NDE reports is that there is a power, and that power is LOVE. He believes when proof of life after death is revealed to humanity, it will lead to a wonderful expansion of our cognitive minds.
What is the conclusion of Afterlife?

There is no need to fear death. A world exists beyond this one, a dimension where we can continue our relationships with our departed loved ones and that perhaps at death, our life has just begun.

I highly recommend this interesting DVD to all who ponder the question "What happens when we die?"

Dr. John L. Turner, author of Medicine, Miracles, and Manifestations: A Doctor's Journey Through the Worlds of Divine Intervention, Near-Death Experiences, and Universal Energy.

A first challenge in reviewing this kind of film is to ask who the audience might be, and what its purpose is. My own interest in the film is that I might want to use it in a class I teach to college undergraduates on the problem of faith. So that's the audience I have in mind. I should state up front that I am a firm believer in the things that the film is offering, i.e., our personal survival after death, and I would like to see a film that conveyed that belief in a convincing way. This is not that film, for reasons big and small.
For small, let's just get out of the way the spelling error in one of the graphics. Ouch. Really unacceptable. Then notice that director and narrator Perry has this odd habit of pronouncing the article "a" as if it were pronounced like the "a" in "hate." This is distracting, especially since he sometimes drops the over-pronunciation. Odd, and my students would notice this. It gives the impression of affectation or artificiality.
These are minor annoyances, small stuff, but it's puzzling. If you're going to spend money on fancy graphics, you should do the equivalent of proof-reading.
For big, the real issue is that the film comes across as trying to bulldoze the viewer rather than allowing her or him to make her own judgment. In other words, the old principle "show me, don't tell me" is violated. We are told almost at once that the evidence is overwhelming, spectacular, conclusive, the debate is over. Uh, OK, but how do I know this? This is stated BEFORE any evidence at all is presented.
How about allowing US to make our own judgments before you give us yours? The viewer wants to say, "But wait--why should I believe you?"
The film gets better as we hear interviews with NDE survivors, all of whom are quite convincing, though there could be more, and they could be allowed to talk longer and to each other to compare notes. But the scientific problem (and we hear talk of "science" a lot in this film) is that personal witness, no matter how compelling, is not scientific proof.
Perry never tries to respond to the critiques of NDEs by people like Susan Blackmore, or the even-handed accounts of someone like the British researcher Mark Fox, whose book on the subject is a model. As I said, I find the arguments FOR NDEs compelling, but I am also aware that some pretty smart people don't.

Again, personally, I have no problem believing these accounts; I've known NDE-ers for many years, including students of mine. But the film would have been so much more compelling if it had begun with the testimonies, with the interviewer maintaining a neutral stance, THEN allowing Dr. Moody, etc., to have their say, and maybe even offering an interview with someone who would raise questions. Not that difficult. I could then show the film to my students without having a science student interested in neuro-biology rolling his eyes at me and informing me that the film fails to do justice to contemporary brain research.

Finally, I enjoyed seeing Dr. Moody and listening to his wonderful Southern drawl. The picture would be valuable if only because we get to hear him. His pioneering work in this field should be honored.

Great documentary. Everyone should see this film... especially if they or their loved ones are in a serious medical condition where death is a possibility -but never talked about. It should be explored. It should be brought up and embraced, and this flick brings good news. - jim

I've read and reviewed Jeffrey Long and Paul Perry's Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences and Paul Perry and Melvin Morse's Transformed by the Light: The Powerful Effect of Near-death Experiences on People's Lives and found them both intriguing. However I have noticed that these authors mostly focus only on positive near-death experiences. Therefore I'm not surprised that Paul Perry has produced an almost completely positive documentary about life after life. The only time you will hear about hell is from people interviewed on the street. I've read books on hellish near-death experiences and I think Paul Perry should have included at least one interview with someone who didn't go to heaven. What you will learn from this documentary is that the purpose of life is to learn to love. Many people who have a near-death experience become more compassionate. The people interviewed all seemed to describe the same basic experience which was being out of their bodies as a soul and then moving towards a bright light that felt loving. A few people talk about a life review and some talk about meeting relatives or spiritual beings. Frankly while this only tells half the story it was still mesmerizing. I really enjoyed watching the interviews with Jeffery Long and Raymond Moody. If you have any interest in what happens after we die I think you will find this intriguing. But for more details you will have to read books on the subject. This is a good overview and has some interesting interviews. If you are really interested in how to get out of this world alive read the New Testament - especially the words of Christ.

~The Rebecca Review

While certainly an interesting subject, it's unfortunate that the film does not go to any lengths to explore more opinions and studies. It serves mostly as a collection of testimonies from people who have had "near death experiences" and offers them as proof of an afterlife.

I would have loved to see a more scientific approach with interviews by science and medical professionals. Perhaps not surprisingly, there was not even a mention of MacDougall's "21 Grams" study. It also would have been nice to get a historical perspective with some insight into the beliefs of different cultures.

Overall this was a disappointing watch. It was obvious after the first fifteen minutes that the director already had an opinion on this and simply wanted to convince the audience to share his view. If you already believe in an afterlife and enjoy hearing people's tales of almost dying, you will probably enjoy this. If you are looking for any real insight on the subject, look elsewhere.