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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An immersive film that is worth the watch, October 25, 2009
Once again the Weinstein circus has squashed another good film with no distribution and misleading cover art (their two specialties). To help with the art, there is no significant gun play (smoking gun cover), and the central character played excellently (in English) by Romain Duris gets supplemental pics on the back cover only. Yes, Malkovich and Lilly have supporting roles that they play with powerful directness, but this is really about one man's journey in finding what is important before a fatalistic event may or may not occur in his life. The tagline of "fear the messenger" is actually the opposite of what the film is trying to convey. And the misplaced cover quote (with bad grammar) reveals nothing about the truth of the film ("..tension.."?) - was more of a subtle emotional draw.
There is a beautiful serenity to this entire film - all inclusive with how they manage the cityscapes, countrysides and solitude of the central character, both with the musical score and the cinematography. The story follows a recently divorced lawyer who tries to make sense of this doctor's revelations about how he can foresee death. The story is told in a non-lineal format between present day and some unknown dreamscape involving the main character's family in a beautiful wooded area. I honestly feel the rest of this immersion tale and subplots are up to the viewer to decide in what is meant, as nothing gets preachy or too descriptive in how these messengers might have this power.
As par for Weinstein, they give no supplements, but the video and audio quality are excellent. Bourdos has written and directed a mesmerizing film here, but I have not read Et Apres to know how the translation went. Four for the film and quality but cannot give a five as there is no additional material to assist the package.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
As Good as Any Similar Film, December 7, 2009
The box should have read: Newly divorced lawyer Nathan Del Amico is shaken up after he meets a doctor who claims that he can sense when select people are about to die.
But like the previous reviewers said, the box was misleading. This is not an action/thriller. But I'm easy. I was entertained. I liked it.
I found the main character, a Frenchman, to be very appealing. I liked his quiet manner and subdued acting style. He was handsome and wore interesting clothes (ladies, check out the gauzy shirt he wears in the romantic scenes -- very 'European Romance'). I did not have the plot figured out until just before they told me the catch. So for me, this story kept me interested and curious, and the performances of all of the actors kept me from getting bored. John Malkovich was not a bad guy in this film and the box made him sound like he was. Nope. He was actually a very altruistic guy.
If you like movies with a paranormal twist, where the character(s) has special powers that the rest of us do not, you will like this movie. It is THAT type of movie. NOT an action thriller...
Hope I helped you choose this movie.
Enjoy!
Ellen C Maze, author
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Afterwards... regret watching the movie, December 7, 2009
"Fill every nerve with tension." It did not fill every nerve with tension, but with boredom. The only way to know about a movie that goes directly to video is from the box, and the information on the box was misleading. I know you can't judge a book by its cover, but the marketing department either had no idea what they were talking about or they just simply lied. This was billed as a fast-paced thriller (as indicated from the smoking gun) on the cover. It was not a fast-paced thriller, but a deliberately paced character study of a high-powered lawyer who had a near death experience as a boy, which only plays in the next to last scene of the movie. The lawyer meets a man who claims to be able to see when people are going to die; this is not the story, although the box suggests the story revolves around the relationship of the two men. It's not. It's about the lawyer re-examining his life, which should lead to a character arc. Instead, there's a character dump in the last scene. The movie is based on a French novel and has great acting (except for the lead; his one expression gets very tiresome), wonderful music, direction and cinematography, but it goes on about 20 minutes too long. The book probably answers the questions that the film raises, but doesn't develop. And the title "Afterward" should have been changed since it has very little to do with the afterlife, but with life and its end at death. But this film should have been promoted as a drama of life and death as it pertains to a successful lawyer and the events in his life instead of a "fast paced thriller" that will "fill every nerve with tension" because that is not this film. If you have some time to kill, it's an okay view as long as you know what you're watching; a dramatic character study with its share of problems. Otherwise, stay away.
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