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

Bill Perkins: (at around 1h 9 mins) The film's financier and Producer appears as a Security Guard arresting Justin Long at the school.

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Goofs

The scar on Anna's forehead is at times quite smooth and clean, such as when she is lying on the gurney. But when Deacon has her looking in the mirror, and the camera goes back and forth, it appears as a very rough, uneven cut, even with the stitches. Then once again it becomes smooth and clean. Apparently these were from different takes and resulted from different makeup staff.

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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

Thought provoking sick fantasy thriller mystery.

A funeral director appears to have the gift of speaking to dead, and help with their passing to the either side. However, his latest work is a young female school teacher, but is she really dead or is he fulfilling a sick fantasy.

Director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Voslo's After-life is intriguing, thought provoking and original throughout. The stark style of filming is reminiscent of Body to Body (2003) aka "Corps à corps".

While most of film centres around the character of Anna Taylor it is a wise casting choice by Matthew Lessall as beautiful Christina Ricci gives an emotional performance as a girl who's is not sure if she is dead or alive. Although, Ricci is on the mortuary slab and semi-nude for most part of the film, comparably to Anna Falchi in Dellamorte Dellamore (1994), to Wojtowicz-Voslo's credit it's never in an explicit or over sexualized presentation.

Liam Neeson is convincing as the mortician Eliot Deacon in a subtle performance where he communicates with the dead. He's creepy and cold, although not given a back story, his character has many layers. The tension between Neeson and Ricci is note-worthy and create some great moments.

Die Hard 4 star Justin Long is average as Ricci's fiancée, as he doesn't have the convincing weight of the other players. However, Young Chandler Canterbury as the little boy Jack is memorable. The supporting cast are a mix of familiar face's including Josh Charles and Shuler Hensley and the other officers.

Direction, lighting and music create an eerie atmosphere for this effective thriller mystery. There's horror too in the way of Anna Taylor's visions and Deacon working on the deceased prepping their bodies.

Overall, simmering entertainment with a closing act to ponder over.