After.Life (2009— 104 mins)  L. Neeson, C. Ricci, J. Long

Like I said a couple of days ago I tend to try and get 1 movie each night (of the 3 I usually get) that is a break from the norm. Not a blockbuster hit, not a rom-com, not main stream. This was a genre piece that was a break from every day movies we usually watch. After.Life is a dark drama/mystery/thriller about a woman who has gotten into a car accident and is caught in a place between life and death. Liam Neeson is her guide so to speak, in the period between the accident and the final moving on. Justin Long plays Ricci’s boyfriend who we are not sure is all there or if he believes she is dead or not.

    It’s a definate trippy ride the whole movie. The director makes good use of vivid color, angles,lighting,  and symbols to propel the plot along in a good direction. She keeps us quite off guard the whole time revealing little by little the story at hand. In any movie like this there are some holes in the story she is trying to sell us, but it never gets so big of a hole that it ruins the basic premise or goal of it all. The movie is good  in general. I like movies that keep you thinking and make you try and figure it out. It never grasps at things that are not in plain sight and what you see is what you get. It might be too dark for some people or slow but I think most people who appreciate genre films or mystery/thrillers will like it. A heads up for some too Ricci is naked pretty much about 1/2 of the movie so this is either a good thing or bad thing depending on who you are, be warned.

Verdict–> A good genre flick that will keep you guessing and somewhat on the edge of your seat. It’s dark and dreary but in a good drama way. If you don’t like drama/thrillers you won’t like it but for others it will be right up your alley. Not a great “date” movie but for a group on a multiple movie night it is real good for a discussion starter as well. Enjoy!

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