After.Life (2009)

After a car accident, a young woman who is caught between life and death, meets a funeral director who appears to have the gift of transitioning the dead into the afterlife.

Director:

Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo

Writers:

Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo, Paul Vosloo

Stars:

Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson, Justin Long

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christina Ricci	...	Anna Taylor
Liam Neeson	...	Eliot Deacon
Justin Long	...	Paul Coleman
Chandler Canterbury	...	Jack
Celia Weston	...	Beatrice Taylor
Luz Alexandra Ramos	...	Diane (as Luz Ramos)
Josh Charles	...	Tom Peterson
Rosemary Murphy	...	Mrs. Whitehall
Malachy McCourt	...	Father Graham
Shuler Hensley	...	Vincent Miller
Alice Drummond	...	Mrs. Hutton
Sam Kressner	...	Acne Kid
Doan Ly	...	Teacher #1
Jack Rovello	...	Tall Kid
Prudence Wright Holmes	...	Old Woman #1

Storyline

After a horrific car accident, Anna (Ricci) wakes up to find the local funeral director Eliot Deacon (Neeson) preparing her for her funeral. Confused, terrified and feeling still very much alive, Anna doesn't believe she's dead, despite the funeral director's reassurances she's merely in transition to the afterlife. Eliot convinces her he has the ability to communicate with the dead and is the only one who can help her. Trapped inside the funeral home, with nobody to turn to except Eliot, Anna's forced to accept her own death. But Anna's grief-stricken boyfriend Paul (Long) can't shake the suspicion that Eliot isn't what he appears to be.

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Plot Keywords:

breath on mirror | female star appears nude | female full frontal nudity | buried alive | engagement ring | 

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Taglines:

How do you save yourself when you're already dead?

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for nudity, disturbing images, language and brief sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 2010 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

After Life

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$59,946, 11 April 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$108,229, 30 April 2010

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,606,395, 14 August 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lleju Productions,Harbor Light Entertainment,Plum Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kate Bosworth was originally cast as Anna, but was replaced by Christina Ricci.

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Goofs

When Deacon comes into the morgue the very first time, and when Anna's mother goes into the room in her wheelchair, the door opens to the inside. When he leaves after a while, the door opens to the outside. During the rest of the movie the door opens to the inside.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Eliot Deacon: It's time now. You're absolutely beautiful for your funeral.
[crossing his hands]
Eliot Deacon: It's as if you were still alive. Just sleeping. This is how they're all going to remember you.

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Soundtracks

Champagne For Two
Written by Greg Shearer (ASCAP)
Published by Branded Music (ASCAP)
Provided by Crucial Music Corporation

User Reviews

Terrific Bleak Tale

The school teacher Anna Taylor (Christina Ricci) is a troubled woman that uses many pills along the day and is incapable to love due to the creation of her dysfunctional mother. When her boyfriend Paul Coleman (Justin Long) is promoted but needs to move to Chicago, he invites her to a fancy dinner to propose her. However Anna does not listen to him and believes he wants to quit their relationship, leaving the restaurant totally disturbed and upset. She has a car accident and awakes in a funeral home, where the director Eliot Deacon (Liam Neeson) is preparing her body for the funeral service. Anna tells him that she is not dead, but Eliot shows her death certificate and explains that he has the gift of listening to the dead. Along the days and the nights, Anna faces her fears and Eliot slowly tries to convince her to accept her death. But Anna does not believe that she had died and tries to communicate with Paul. Is she really dead or alive?

"After.Live" is a terrific bleak tale and one of the best horror movies that I have recently seen. The ambiguous story provided leads to the viewer to decide whether Anna Taylor is dead or alive but the conclusion is actually open to interpretation. Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci totally or partially naked most of the time have top-notch performances, supported by an intelligent and original screenplay, tight direction and awesome music score. The atmosphere is melancholic, and the dark colors are contrasted by the red of blood, hair dye and dress. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available