Post World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house.Post World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house.Post World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house.
- Director
- Writers
- Joe Shrapnel(screenplay by)
- Anna Waterhouse(screenplay by)
- Rhidian Brook(screenplay by)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Joe Shrapnel(screenplay by)
- Anna Waterhouse(screenplay by)
- Rhidian Brook(screenplay by)
- Stars
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Videos2
Flora Thiemann
- Freda Lubertas Freda Lubert
- (as Flora Li Thiemann)
Monika Foris Kvasnicková
- German Womanas German Woman
- (as Monika Foris)
- Director
- Writers
- Joe Shrapnel(screenplay by)
- Anna Waterhouse(screenplay by)
- Rhidian Brook(screenplay by) (based on the novel "The Aftermath" by)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaKeira Knightly uses a body double for the nude scenes in the film. After giving birth to her daughter in May 2015, Kiera Knightley, who had been naked onscreen several times since she was 16, announced that she will no longer perform nude. She said that in the past she didn't mind exposing her breasts because "they're so small people really aren't that interested," but not any longer. "I have been comfortable earlier with more nudity than I am now. I have had a kid, I am in my 30s, I am very happy with my body," the actress revealed. "But I don't feel I need to get it out that much any more." She's added that she's fine if movies use body doubles, but she won't be stripping naked herself for any reason.
- GoofsA main subplot of the movie is Lewis having to deal with protests, and underground resistance to Allied occupation. While there was naturally some social discontent, public resistance to the Allies in the West was virtually unheard of. Germany had spent the war years under strict iron rule from the Nazis; the idea of a holding a protest to the people of Hamburg would seem absurd and suicidal.
- Quotes
Rachael Morgan: You didn't tell me what I was walking into.
- Alternate versionsFor the film's Australian release, the distributor chose to make reductions to stronger sexual detail in two scenes in order to obtain an M classification. The uncut version of the film was later released with an MA15+ classification for a DVD/Video release.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Failed Oscar Bait Movies of 2019 (2020)
Top review
a portrait of unresolvable grief
There are many reasons a beautifully made film like The Aftermath (2019) ends up critically panned. Some describe it as slow, melodramatic, and predictable, but such labels often reflect unfulfilled viewer expectations rather than an ill-conceived or poorly executed film.
Set in 1946, the plotline is straightforward with few surprises other than its final moments. It opens with British Colonel Lewis Morgan (Jason Clarke) and his wife Rachel (Keira Knightley) arriving in the devasted city of Hamburg to restore law and order, as well as to root out remaining Nazi sympathisers. The thoroughly middle-class Morgans have requisitioned a stately mansion owned by architect Stephan Lubert (Alexander Skarsgárd) and his rebellious daughter Freda (Flora Thiemann). Lewis is a compassionate man who cannot bear to send the Luberts to a squalid refugee camp and invites them to stay in the attic, setting the tension lines that drive the film. When someone remarks that more bombs were dropped on Hamburg in one week than were dropped on London in one year, we enter an inverted moral paradigm where the line between victory and vanquished turns grey.
The slow start has a purpose. Few films respectfully explore the humiliation of defeat and many viewers would ask 'why should they'? The Aftermath dwells on prolonged moments where the victor strolls in and takes over the home of the vanquished; where a population is deliberately starved to keep them compliant; where a once-proud culture must confront its inner demons. Deep unresolvable grief permeates the city as well as the lives of the Morgans and the Luberts. Both lost loved ones and the times are not sympathetic to healing. In the middle of this swirling emotional vortex, a classic 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' sub-plot becomes the narrative device for rebuilding lives.
This film stands out in the war-drama genre because of its nuanced portrait of the immediate aftermath of the Allied occupation of Germany. It reeks of period authenticity in ways that only British films can do. The stunning cinematography captures the horror of the immediate post-war period without the usual reliance on the tropes of military casuality and destruction. Knightley and Clarke's performances are outstanding, while Skarsgárd adequately fills the role of a grieving, if over-confident, romantic antagonist. As happens so often, Knightley's commanding presence and extraordinary range of emotional versatility stamps her ownership all over the film.
If history is only written by winners it will always only be half-true. The Aftermath is an essay about the other half, blending sufficient historical insight into a romantic drama to hold our interest without emotional sledgehammers. There are minor lapses of pace, maybe a narrative digression or two that dilutes momentum; but overall, this is a satisfying film that takes an uncommon view on unexplored cinematic territory.
Set in 1946, the plotline is straightforward with few surprises other than its final moments. It opens with British Colonel Lewis Morgan (Jason Clarke) and his wife Rachel (Keira Knightley) arriving in the devasted city of Hamburg to restore law and order, as well as to root out remaining Nazi sympathisers. The thoroughly middle-class Morgans have requisitioned a stately mansion owned by architect Stephan Lubert (Alexander Skarsgárd) and his rebellious daughter Freda (Flora Thiemann). Lewis is a compassionate man who cannot bear to send the Luberts to a squalid refugee camp and invites them to stay in the attic, setting the tension lines that drive the film. When someone remarks that more bombs were dropped on Hamburg in one week than were dropped on London in one year, we enter an inverted moral paradigm where the line between victory and vanquished turns grey.
The slow start has a purpose. Few films respectfully explore the humiliation of defeat and many viewers would ask 'why should they'? The Aftermath dwells on prolonged moments where the victor strolls in and takes over the home of the vanquished; where a population is deliberately starved to keep them compliant; where a once-proud culture must confront its inner demons. Deep unresolvable grief permeates the city as well as the lives of the Morgans and the Luberts. Both lost loved ones and the times are not sympathetic to healing. In the middle of this swirling emotional vortex, a classic 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' sub-plot becomes the narrative device for rebuilding lives.
This film stands out in the war-drama genre because of its nuanced portrait of the immediate aftermath of the Allied occupation of Germany. It reeks of period authenticity in ways that only British films can do. The stunning cinematography captures the horror of the immediate post-war period without the usual reliance on the tropes of military casuality and destruction. Knightley and Clarke's performances are outstanding, while Skarsgárd adequately fills the role of a grieving, if over-confident, romantic antagonist. As happens so often, Knightley's commanding presence and extraordinary range of emotional versatility stamps her ownership all over the film.
If history is only written by winners it will always only be half-true. The Aftermath is an essay about the other half, blending sufficient historical insight into a romantic drama to hold our interest without emotional sledgehammers. There are minor lapses of pace, maybe a narrative digression or two that dilutes momentum; but overall, this is a satisfying film that takes an uncommon view on unexplored cinematic territory.
helpful•9018
- CineMuseFilms
- May 5, 2019
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Sau Thế Chiến
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,618,497
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $56,419
- Mar 17, 2019
- Gross worldwide
- $9,215,591
- Runtime1 hour 48 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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