Film Review: AFTER.LIFE (2009)

Co-Writer/Director: Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Horror/Mystery
UK Release date: 28th August 2010 (Film4 FrightFest)

Watched on Sky+ Monday 11th July 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I really didn’t know much about this film before seeing it, apart from a mention it got on a film review TV program about a year ago. I was pleasantly surprised with this psychological thriller with a bit of a supernatural twist. It’s a lot better than it appears to have been rated on certain web sites (you know who you are Rotten Tomatoes!). Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my take on it.

Schoolteacher Anna Taylor has an argument with her boyfriend, Paul Coleman, at a restaurant one stormy night. She leaves in a temper, takes her car and drives into the night. Distracted by her thoughts she ends up in an accident. The next thing she knows she wakes up on a slab in a mortuary run by Eliot Deacon. He tells her she’s dead and only he can hear and speak to her. Of course she doesn’t believe him and tries to leave, but he won’t let her. Is she really dead, or does Mr Deacon have a secret? Well, yes, you guessed it; I’m not going to tell you here. Those Spoiler Police are getting tougher.

A pretty well made film that I found quite atmospheric. It always keeps you guessing with some quite clever plot twists. Good performances all round, particularly from Christina Ricci as Anna Taylor and Liam Neeson as Eliot Deacon. Both were excellent, as was Justin Long as Paul Coleman, he really surprised me with this one. Oh, and a special mention for young Chandler Canterbury as one of Anna’s pupils, Jack, he did a great job too.

Although it did fall into the odd cliché here and there, I found the plot entertaining and refreshingly different from many film of this ilk I’ve seen in recent years. Yes, it’s not the most original idea, and there were one or two continuity errors, but I liked the way it was done and I liked the ending (no clues here). Over all, certainly worth a rental… Recommended.

My Score 6.7/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0838247/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/after.life/
Official Site: http://www.afterlifethefilm.com/
Trailer: