Afterwards (2008)

Nathan, a brilliant New York lawyer who leads a life of professional success, but his private life is pretty dismal since he divorced Claire, his only love. Until he meets Doctor Kay, a ... See full summary »

Director:

Gilles Bourdos

Writers:

Michel Spinosa (screenplay), Gilles Bourdos (screenplay)

Stars:

Romain Duris, John Malkovich, Evangeline Lilly

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Romain Duris	...	Nathan
John Malkovich	...	Kay
Evangeline Lilly	...	Claire
Pascale Bussières	...	Anna
Sara Waisglass	...	Tracey
Reece Thompson	...	Jeremy (as Reece Daniel Thompson)
Bruno Verdoni	...	Doctor
Joan Gregson	...	Mother in Law
Mark Camacho	...	Lawyer
Robin Wilcock	...	Lawyer
Edward Yankie	...	Lawyer
Carlo Mestroni	...	Lawyer
Glenda Braganza	...	Rachel
Leni Parker	...	Admission Clerk
Henri Pardo	...	Haitian Spokesman

Storyline

Nathan, a brilliant New York lawyer who leads a life of professional success, but his private life is pretty dismal since he divorced Claire, his only love. Until he meets Doctor Kay, a mysterious doctor who introduces himself as a "Messenger." He claims that he can sense when certain people are about to die, and that he is sent to help them put their life in order before it's too late. Nathan doesn't believe a word of this, but soon afterwards he witnesses some disconcerting scenes which seem to confirm the doctor's claims.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | lawyer | messenger | hairy chest | bare chested male | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Evangeline Lilly's first feature film lead role (though The Hurt Locker (2008) premiered before this film, Afterwards was actually shot right before).

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Goofs

In the scene where Nathan approaches an ambulance from behind, his feet are reflected in the shiny metal at the bottom of the vehicle's rear doors. Also reflected are the feet of the cameraman following him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tracey: [beckoning] Swannie... Come over here... Come to me... Nice, swan.

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Crazy Credits

Over the end credits music, you hear an ambulance winding through traffic.

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Soundtracks

Someday Baby
Performed by R.L. Burnside

User Reviews

A Direct Atom Egoyan Descendant... Ultimately Overwrought.

A carefully constructed and beautifully photographed film. Very successfully and thoughtfully utilizes diverse North American locations- from rustic summertime Quebec to New York City to White Sands, New Mexico and SW environs.

Features classic Atom Egoyan narrative/plot/hook structure: that keeps you "learning" -up to the final frames- just what you have been watching.

But...... the film is so thick- both thematically and with its sumptuous imagery- that by the time you get there (the end)- the reasonable 1hr45 screening time seems about 30min past due. You are worn out as if you've been force fed a fine cheese cake. Less would definitely be more.

Also... the film comes so close to Egoyan as to practically- and I believe at one point actually- lift some lines directly from THE SWEET HEREAFTER (1997): "...Someone didn't do his job... There is no mystery..." - although here, the character's arc carries him beyond being imprisoned by this thinking.

Overall: good, meaningful, thought provoking, flawed- underrated by the IMDb score.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [United States]

Country:

Germany France Canada

Language:

English French

Release Date:

14 January 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

Depois de Partir

Filming Locations:

Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,400,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,862,534

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fidélité Films, Akkord Film Produktion GmbH, Christal Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1