After Life (1998)
Directed by Hirokazu Kore'eda
Starring: ARATA, Susumu Terajima
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 118mins

Rating:

Following their deaths, the newly dead enter a gateway between heaven and earth. At this temporary holding point they are given 7 days with a counselor to select the one memory from all the years of their existence to take with them into eternity. Upon selecting a memory the staff then work towards recreating each sight and sound on film to be screened at the end of the week - the final stage in passing over to the after life. However, not everyone can choose, and the inner feelings of both staff and clients are exposed in a celebration of human emotion and love.

After Life is without doubt one of the finest Japanese films ever made. Simplistic in its execution (a series of talking heads), it is a profoundly moving experience that dwells not with death but in its examination and more importantly, celebration, of life. Hirokazu Kore'eda assembled the vignettes that play such a pivotal part of the film through a series of interviews. Adopting his documentary experience to aid a fictional film he has managed to capture the beauty of real life experiences, albeit in a pseudo-realist environment.

From the talented cast (featuring Ping-Pong's ARATA and the ever-impressive Susumu Terajima), to the exquisitely measured pace there is nothing at fault with Kore'eda's film. Very few films can claim to be life-affecting, but After Life is one of those rarities. Without ever preaching, Kore'eda eschews the beauty of life while urging us to take in stock each and every moment, no matter how small, so we can realize just how wonderful life can be.

It is very difficult to pin-point just what it is about After Life that is so magical, but if pressed, one could remark upon the attention to detail that Kore'eda invests in each character, in each memory and within the often heartbreaking events that have befallen them. Relationships between clients and workers are examined subtly, through simple gestures and words, nothing is forced, everything is just - felt.

After Life is an experience that avoids the confines of your average plot driven film, yes it is held together by the essential narrative twists and there is a sense of progression and closure, however, the pace is such that we as an audience get to languish in and appreciate the memories that are shared.

Rather than entertain us with hyper-active thrills and spills Kore'eda reminds us of the simple joys of human existence, and with such beautiful touches as the girl in the red dress, the onigiri in the woods, to the school ride on the tram - these memories open up our own reflections of nostalgia. After Life is a film that embraces you and urges you to reflect upon your life, the good and the bad, the happy and the sad.

Beautiful, poignant, and rich with emotion After Life is a modern masterpiece of cinema. Acclaimed yet overlooked, Kore'eda's film has no substitute.