Chuck likes it!! He really really likes it!!!
After.Life (2009)
Directed By: Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo
The Prologue
When After.Life came across my desk, I seen it was by Anchor Bay and wrote it off as some lackluster film that they tossed out, since after all when they aren’t putting out classics on cool special editions, they have been pretty hit and miss with what they have put out.. But, After.Life did have the very hot Christina Ricci in it (And Just Long, who I’m not gay for, or gay at all, but I like his work) so I gave it a chance, and I am happy to say that I am very happy that I did! What I found with After.Life was a film that needs a lot of attention, so lets all give it some shall we?
The Movie
Let’s be honest, Anna (Christina Ricci) has a life that she doesn’t seem very excited about having. She just seems to go through things, like sex with her boyfriend Paul (Justin Long) without any feeling or emotion. I guess you could say her life is pretty “dead”. And she may or may not now be actually dead following a car accident after a fight with Paul. All she (and us) know, is she wrecked and wakes up on the table of Eliot (Liam Neeson), a man who says he has the power to talk to the dead as he gets them ready for their last resting place. However, let me remind you the biggest question, is she actually dead?? And can Paul find out one way or the other before it’s too late??..If she isn’t actually dead that is.
You know, if there’s one thing I love it’s something that is not just different and creative, but smart and put together really well, and with After.Life, you get just that! I didn’t expect much going in. I thought it was just some film with some good actors in it but I was wrong. It’s a film that tells a great story and keeps you guessing long after the credits roll. I’ve actually changed my mind on what is actually going on in this movie a couple times since watching it, and that’s a sign of a good film, a film that keeps you thinking about it after you’ve watched it. Lord knows these days with most films as soon as the credits roll, you forget just what you watched.
Now it goes without saying, but this movie has some really good acting in it. Ricci does a great job of playing a girl who may or may not be dead, and with her pale skin tone she probably has really been mistaken for a corpse a couple times in her real life. I don’t think Liam Neeson has ever been bad in a film, and he walks such a fine line in this film, keeping you guessing on if he’s being honest or if he’s just an evil S.O.B. that it really adds to the movie as you watch. You also have Justin Long, and call me crazy, but I’ve always liked his work and I think he does a fine job here. Rounding that all out is a child actor named Chandler Canterbury, and his role of Jack is very well done, and it adds another element to the overall story that may just hold the answers to every question you’ll have once you see the movie.
While it’s not really the type of horror film that gives you jumps and blood, it’s a film that does a fantastic job of building up suspense and tension. It’s also got a whole lot of weird to it and I love me some weird movies. While this film probably won’t get much credit now, I think with some time, and with the story and the oddness of it all, you’ll have a film here I can see being way more appreciated some time down the line.
I don’t want to give it away, but when this movie ends (and what an ending it has) you’re opinion of if the people that come into Eliot’s life are actually dead or not could go one way or the other, or it could switch back and forth. While at times there seems to be solid enough proof of it being one way, when you think back to the creepy stuff you see on screen, you have just enough there to make you second guess yourself. At the end of the day, I may switch what I think more times than I already have, but I feel you need to see it for yourself and tell me what you think for sure.
The Conclusion
Well hot damn, guys! I liked it! I didn’t think I would, had you asked me before I watched it I would have told you I probably wouldn’t have liked it, but it just goes to show you can’t judge DVDs on their cover..or by the company that put the film out. I guess Anchor Bay do know what they are doing when they are putting out films that aren’t already classics. If you have not gave After.Life a chance, I’d recommend you do so.
The Rating (7/10)
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