Movie: After Life
Released in 2009, 'After Life' is a psychological horror-thriller directed by Agnieszka Wójtowicz-Vosloo, based on her original screenplay. The film features a cast including Liam Neeson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Long.
Eliot Deacon, proprietor of a funeral home, maintains a gentle demeanor as he attends to the deceased under his care. Anna Taylor, a middle school teacher, crosses paths with Eliot while attending her piano teacher's funeral at his establishment. That evening, a heated argument with her boyfriend Paul drives Anna to distress, leading to a traffic accident. To her shock, she awakens on an embalming table in Eliot's funeral home, discovering him cutting her clothes and claiming she is deceased. Eliot asserts he possesses a unique gift—he can hear the voices of the dead. Showing Anna a collection of photographs documenting his assistance in the transition of the departed, he administers a fictional drug, hydronium bromide, to prevent rigor mortis.
Paul, desperate to see Anna, faces resistance from Eliot, who denies access on the grounds of non-family status. Anna, in futile attempts to escape, hears from Eliot that she must release her grip on life, as she hadn't truly been living. After multiple escape attempts, Anna contacts Paul from a room with a phone, only to be dismissed as a prank. Convinced of her death, Anna is further troubled when Eliot reveals her corpse-like reflection in a mirror. A concerned student informs Paul, leading him to suspect that Anna is still alive.
Anna's student Jack visits the funeral home, and Eliot claims they share a divine gift akin to Jesus, offering to mentor the boy. Jack agrees, burying a living chick in a box as part of the eerie initiation.
As Anna undergoes final preparations for her funeral, she requests to see herself once more. Eliot, holding up a small mirror, injects her again, causing her to slip into unconsciousness. At the funeral, Paul places the intended engagement ring on her finger.
In the aftermath, a grieving and intoxicated Paul confronts Eliot, who seemingly taunts him to witness Anna's true state. Simultaneously, Anna awakens to the sound of earth being shoveled onto her casket, desperately scratching the satin lining.
In a drunken stupor, Paul races to the cemetery. Anna reveals her love for him and explains the odd sound he hears is Eliot's preparations for his body. Suddenly, Paul finds himself in the funeral home, with Eliot preparing his body as he did Anna's. Eliot discloses that Paul never reached the cemetery due to a fatal car accident, leaving Paul to protest his life until Eliot inserts an embalming trocar deep into his torso.
Comments
Post a Comment