Kuoleman jälkeen

This very well-crafted Yevgeni Bauer melodrama turns a relatively simple story into a movie that you're not likely to forget once you've seen it. It would be quite hard not to identify with the anxiety and frustrations of the two main characters, and Bauer had an almost unmatched feel for the way to present this kind of psychological drama on the silent screen.

The basic theme, which is the way that we remember interesting or important persons in our lives "After Death", is the kind of topic that Bauer seems to have found fascinating. A slightly later feature of his, "Daydreams", is a masterful treatment of similar ideas. Here in "After Death", the main character, Andrei, finds himself in the hold first of his mother, then of a fascinating actress.

The actual story is not particularly complex, yet the psychological implications are considerable, and they can leave you with a lot to think about. Bauer also shows a keen touch for how to use the camera and lighting to good effect. His use of pans and tracking shots always seem to come at the right moments, neither over-used nor under-used, directing the viewer's attention just where he wants it to go for best effect.