[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike

After. Life (2010)

A young couple Paul (Justin Long) and Anna (Christina Ricci) are toying with the prospect of marriage when they have a chance encounter with Eliot (Liam Neeson), a mysterious undertaker who claims he can speak with the dead. When Anna who is involved in a car accident is declared dead, she becomes caught in the otherworldly realm between life and death, she risks being buried alive. Will Eliot help her, or is he being driven by darker motivations?, can he really talk to the recently deceased or is it all in his mind?

Performances are excellent in After. Life. Liam Neeson plays sinister so well, Justin Long who's not someone i have great affection for was also very good. Christina Ricci however is the undoubted star of the show, she gives a performance of strength through doubt and denial and turns in a performance that will have all lovers of the dead salivating, she spends a good performance of the film topless and is a dream come true for necrophiliacs and Marilyn Manson fans alike.

The premise of this thriller was intriguing, yet also undercooked. The final denounment was frustratingly left open. I would have loved a happy Hollywood ending, but even the director says she left it open ended for the viewer to make up their own mind. Generally i always see this as a good thing but not in this case. Some sort of conclusion would have helped resolve what was an interesting, yet for this reason flawed movie. Recommended.

I thought this was a really good film which thankfully has improved on repeated viewings thanks to the open ending. I don't always like events to be wrapped up neatly at the end of the third act as it allows your imagination to play a part in working out the dénouement or think through what you've just seen, digest it and maybe give you a completely different viewing experience the next time around.

The final thoughts in my review are:

After.Life is one of the most interesting and well made films have seen this year which belies its modest budget and lack of experience by co-writer/director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo handles her small cast extremely well, bringing out a remarkably evocative and brave performance by Christina Ricci who spends about 40 minutes in nothing but a red slip and about another 50 minutes in nothing at all whilst giving a performance worthy of her considerable talents and easily equal to the extremely strong and authoritative role she played in The Opposite of Sex. Liam Neeson has the potential to be a great actor and it's not often you get to see him on such fine form so it is a credit to the script and the direction that he is able to put in one of his best performances for years.

This is a compelling film and one that will live long in the memory. It is a film that you have to see several times to appreciate every nuance and clue that was laid along the way and I will probably watches several more times in the near future.