I wonder how many movies have been made that speculate on what happens after we die? It's a topic that offers, I think, endless opportunities for creativity (and clichés). AFTER LIFE, from writer/director Kore-eda Hirokazu, adds a poignant new concept to this packed genre.
Often, these speculative ideas turn the movie into a comedy, or a science fiction piece, or something philosophical and often difficult to interpret or just boring. AFTER LIFE fits none of these categories. In fact, it isn't really that interested in the notion of death and dying. Set in a rundown (even abandoned) government type building, each week, a batch of the recently deceased show up and given an assignment by the compassionate bureaucrats who run the place: Give us a memory that you want to take with you to your afterlife. We'll do our best to recreate it on film. We'll show you the film, and when it actually sparks that memory for you, you'll move on to the next step, forever accompanied by that one moment, and no other.
In the week under consideration in AFTER LIFE, 22 people have arrived to perform this ritual. All are aware that they've died, but noone is upset about it, or screaming for a second chance or any of the usual histrionics we might expect. They are, to some degree, at peace...but really, they mostly just recognize this as another step on their journey's, and they are agreeable (mostly) to the process. Most of the folks are elderly, and they eagerly share details of their favorite memories with the sympathetic and gentle team who work with them.
Not everyone is 100% on board. One older gentleman, whose journey evolves in ways that make him more central to the story than the others, is hesitant to admit that anything has happened to him that made him happy. And a young man simply refuses to play along. He's not angry or aggressive, he just chooses not to let his life be distilled down to that one memory.
Central to all this is the relationship between the workers, particularly between Takashi (Arata Iura), a young man who serves as a counselor, and Shiori (Erika Oda), his young trainee. Both actors are excellent in their understated ways, and the arc of their story makes a deep impact.
The movie has an air of sadness. The decrepit building, the gray skies (and snow), the overall lighting and the slower pace. But as you watch, you realize that it's really more an air of respect and importance. Attention is being paid because these 22 people are about to embark on the most important thing that's happened to them. They've lived their full lives, and that's to be respected. When we see the scenes of memories being recreated and filmed, the movie becomes a joyful documentary. Filmed with handheld cameras, we immerse into this thoughtful process, one that clearly gives everyone involved a great deal of satisfaction.
I won't say more, because although this film is not heavy on plot (as we think of it), a fair amount actually happens, including a number of beautiful and surprising things. It's a slow go, but it's never boring. And what's remarkable about it is that the "dead" folks sharing their memories are all the "real" people...amateurs who have agreed to participate in this unusual film and to share their own actual special memories. You can tell they are amateurs, but they have been given the space to really be themselves, and as these people (particularly the elderly) share their stories, we understand that AFTER LIFE has given us a rare privilege; to be shown that part of these people that they've carried as a kernel of pure happiness throughout their long and varied lives. While the movie is about a lot more than that, just sharing in those revelations is enough to make this film a true gift to the viewer.
If you have the Criterion Collection version, I very heartily recommend the bonus features. The interview with Kore-eda is revelatory and even the commentary, while delivered in academic tones, illuminates and adds so many more layers to this amazing film.
Often, these speculative ideas turn the movie into a comedy, or a science fiction piece, or something philosophical and often difficult to interpret or just boring. AFTER LIFE fits none of these categories. In fact, it isn't really that interested in the notion of death and dying. Set in a rundown (even abandoned) government type building, each week, a batch of the recently deceased show up and given an assignment by the compassionate bureaucrats who run the place: Give us a memory that you want to take with you to your afterlife. We'll do our best to recreate it on film. We'll show you the film, and when it actually sparks that memory for you, you'll move on to the next step, forever accompanied by that one moment, and no other.
In the week under consideration in AFTER LIFE, 22 people have arrived to perform this ritual. All are aware that they've died, but noone is upset about it, or screaming for a second chance or any of the usual histrionics we might expect. They are, to some degree, at peace...but really, they mostly just recognize this as another step on their journey's, and they are agreeable (mostly) to the process. Most of the folks are elderly, and they eagerly share details of their favorite memories with the sympathetic and gentle team who work with them.
Not everyone is 100% on board. One older gentleman, whose journey evolves in ways that make him more central to the story than the others, is hesitant to admit that anything has happened to him that made him happy. And a young man simply refuses to play along. He's not angry or aggressive, he just chooses not to let his life be distilled down to that one memory.
Central to all this is the relationship between the workers, particularly between Takashi (Arata Iura), a young man who serves as a counselor, and Shiori (Erika Oda), his young trainee. Both actors are excellent in their understated ways, and the arc of their story makes a deep impact.
The movie has an air of sadness. The decrepit building, the gray skies (and snow), the overall lighting and the slower pace. But as you watch, you realize that it's really more an air of respect and importance. Attention is being paid because these 22 people are about to embark on the most important thing that's happened to them. They've lived their full lives, and that's to be respected. When we see the scenes of memories being recreated and filmed, the movie becomes a joyful documentary. Filmed with handheld cameras, we immerse into this thoughtful process, one that clearly gives everyone involved a great deal of satisfaction.
I won't say more, because although this film is not heavy on plot (as we think of it), a fair amount actually happens, including a number of beautiful and surprising things. It's a slow go, but it's never boring. And what's remarkable about it is that the "dead" folks sharing their memories are all the "real" people...amateurs who have agreed to participate in this unusual film and to share their own actual special memories. You can tell they are amateurs, but they have been given the space to really be themselves, and as these people (particularly the elderly) share their stories, we understand that AFTER LIFE has given us a rare privilege; to be shown that part of these people that they've carried as a kernel of pure happiness throughout their long and varied lives. While the movie is about a lot more than that, just sharing in those revelations is enough to make this film a true gift to the viewer.
If you have the Criterion Collection version, I very heartily recommend the bonus features. The interview with Kore-eda is revelatory and even the commentary, while delivered in academic tones, illuminates and adds so many more layers to this amazing film.
