The After stuns you, Misan Harriman’s film hits you with an opening that knocks you sideways. David Oyelowo is at his excellent best here in this staggeringly impressive directorial debut from Harriman.
Out for the day with his daughter, Dayo (David Oyelowo) decides to postpone his work meeting and surprise his wife Amanda by turning up to their daughter’s recital. Before they can leave, tragedy strikes, leaving Dayo to pick up the pieces of his life.
David Oyelowo has that inane ability to pull you every which way with his performances. He can delight you by being that type of father willing to show off his moves in public, and he can obliterate you repeatedly when his character is in immense emotional pain. His performance is so strong here and almost traumatic for the audience that you never want to hear him wail again; so distressing is the power of it.
Misan Harriman and John Julius Schwabach‘s script lull you into the safest of places in The After‘s opening; we watch Dayo and his daughter trade dance moves and see Amanda glow with happiness when Dayo reveals he is going to join them. Everything is perfect for this small family. Then chaos happens; moments occur so quickly that you are not entirely sure you saw what you saw. Or, more accurately, your brain does not want to admit it saw what it did.
We are there in the moment with Dayo, thanks to Harriman’s direction and Si Bell’s cinematography. The camera is wild, moving everywhere as if it is trying to help Dayo, and it is only when we catch our breath that it begins to calm. Still, it is too late by then, and the damage has been done to the characters and the audience alike. Misan Harriman’s direction needs to be commended here; after that opening scene, he allows us a moment to gather our thoughts. You can’t watch a moment like that and not need a minute; he eases us back into the rest of the story, and it enhances the viewing so much to know that a director knows not to rattle on through with the next moment. We need a beat, and we get those throughout The After.
When we return to Dayo, parked up listening to voicemails, anything he can to feel comfort, you are wrecked for him. Now driving a taxi, instead of living a life, he listens in on everyone else’s, ranging from the funny moments to the heartbreakingly serious ones. He clearly has not gotten over what happened, and rightly so. But one taxi journey becomes too much for him, and this already great short film jumps up another level and becomes unmissable.
Stories of grief are flooding the film sphere, especially in short films and rightly so, whether it is the pandemic or other incidences filmmakers are creating from moments that have affected them or those around them. So when they are done right, they can break you; Harriman has ensured with The After that he does that. The film is bookended with such a compelling and shocking opening and that distressing finale that afterwards, you almost just want to sit in silence for a bit. Not only to let Harriman’s film ruminate with you but to just let any grief you have been pushing away wash over you for a moment.
For a debut as a director, Harriman show’s that the moving image is also something he can easily slide into his wheel of talents. The After has you excited for any film projects he has planned in the future, as there is an undeniable talent there as a filmmaker. In all, The After is a film that rocks you and keeps rocking you until that final moment bursts any resolve you had. Utterly fantastic.
★★★★★
The 19th HollyShorts Film Festival is running between 10th – 20th August with in person and digital screenings available throughout.
For more information go to www.hollyshorts.com
Coverage of Hollyshorts Film Festival 2023:
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