After Life, One Of the More Realistic Films Out There

    Hirokazu Koreeda's After Life is truly the oddest film I viewed this semester here at Signs and Wonders. I knew absolutely nothing about this film except for the good reviews it got, so I figured I'd go. I can't say whether I loved it or hated it, but it certainly deserves a discussion.

    Now I will admit that I drifted into a brief slumber at one point during the film, but it certainly wasn't enough to detract from the film. I've seen other films that flirt with the idea of going somewhere in between life on earth and life in either heaven or hell, but this film seemed the most interesting for a few simple reasons. The first reason is the incredible lack of music in the film. I honestly can't even remember a single song from the film, and because of that it added so much more to the very realistic nature of the film, which brings me to my second reason, the documentary-like setup. Towards the later half of the film the film stops the interviews where people try to think of one's favorite memories, but when those interviews occur with no music to accompany, it feels as if the audience is sitting in on this interview alongside the entire cast and crew. The camera, my third reason, that these interviews, as well as the rest of the film, are shot on also adds to the realistic nature. The cameras were digital, very primitive digital cameras, and because of that they have that distinct "home video" look. So, with the collection of those three reasons; lack of music, interviews, and type of camera, this film felt extremely realistic even though the subject material was, well most likely, very unrealistic.

    As I said, I can't say if I liked the film, but there is truly something special about it that deserves attention. If one enjoyed this film based on the realistic nature I've displayed then I highly recommend David Lynch's Inland Empire. Sure, it's ten times weirder, but the same observances I made are in that film as well.