After Death

Most of the material in the film has already been explored elsewhere but what I found especially disappointing was that it was mainly presented through the experiences of North American Christians. Dr. Moody actually touched on the experiences of believers of other faiths in his 1975 book but, for some reason, it did not come up in his interview. As a person from a devout Catholic background, I would have appreciated hearing of the NDE of people of other faiths, in particular Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims who make up almost half of the world's believers. They most certainly would not have met Jesus, as a number of the interviewees in the movie have claimed they did, and it would have been interesting to hear how they described the "Being of Light" encountered in their NDE. Since it appears that all of us live on after physical death and good deeds and love of others are an important part of our purpose in our present existence, then people of other faiths would be eligible for admission to the "heaven" described in many NDE's. Perhaps the makers of the film should consider a more inclusive sequel that would be of interest to more people than this one presumably was.

I'm glad to see a movie of this kind taking hold in an industry full of saccharin entertainment and meaningless fluff. But I still found it a bit fluffy for my taste. A bit too formulaic and predictable. The scientific disbeliever, the enthusiastic pastor, the credible neurologist, all repeating and repeating themselves. Lots of repeat stock footage of blobby outer-spacey imagery. I also found it rather male-dominated, very few female voices in there. And the bias was heavily white Christian. I would have enjoyed seeing interviews with people from other parts of the world in other faiths. Overall it was pretty enjoyable, but not the breathtaking inspiration that the trailer makes it out to be.

Talking about the subject of Near Death Experiences (NDEs) was once about as taboo as speaking about UFOs or seeing a psychiatrist - sure signs that someone was priobably psychologically unstable, even if he or she merely believed in these things, let alone having had experiences with them. Thankfully, however, those days are largely behind us now, and speaking about them openly and honestly has become much more rational and commonplace. Such is the case in this new offering from directors Stephen Gray and Chris Radtke, who provide a comprehensive look at a subject that was once considered suspect - even laughable - but is now taken quite seriously, including by those who were once among its greatest detractors. The film presents a detailed look at the phenomenon, featuring interviews with such researchers as Raymond Moody, often credited as being primarily responsible for bringing NDEs into the mainstream dialogue, and experiencers of these events. It also presents a series of NDE re-enactments, including depictions of what led up to them and what happened as the experiences unfolded, all backed by stunningly gorgeous CGI effects of an admittedly indescribable reality and a beautifully emotive original score. This combination of elements thus provides an excellent overview of what make up NDEs while simultaneously conveying the obviously heartfelt emotions associated with them, bringing the experiences home to viewers in a way that other documentaries on the subject haven't previously been able to accomplish. It sheds profound light on what can happen when one goes through these existential gateways and how returnees are often fundamentally changed by the experiences, giving them new outlooks on life and their purpose in it. While it's true that this offering doesn't present much that's especially new about NDEs and that its pacing can be a little slow (and redundant) at times, it nevertheless does a superb job of immersing audiences in the material, again, a big improvement over previous attempts at addressing this subject. And pay no heed to the cynics who have erroneously called this little more than religious propaganda; while it's true there are a handful of Christian-oriented references scattered throughout the film, the overall take here is more spiritual in nature, an ecumenical approach at examining the afterlife than one that's exclusively rooted in any particular theological tradition. Viewers who may have been skeptical, unfamiliar with or skittish about this subject may find themselves surprisingly enlightened by what this release has to say. And the fact that it's playing widely in mainstream theaters to astonishingly well-attended audiences also speaks volumes about the appeal and apparent universality of this title. As this film so astutely shows, death isn't the end - and it's high time we stopped looking at it that way.

I thought the movie (really a documentary) was pretty good. No new ground is explored though. The writers did try and work in solid scientific opinions regarding NDEs. What was interesting to me is that some of the empirical research had well established doctors like Dr Sabom asking hard questions and maybe believing that there could be consciousness after death...beyond experiences from the dying brain. We've seen these spiritual documentaries on cable and they are always interesting. This production is no different and the verbal experiences described by some of these people, personally reenforce my faith and hope that there is an afterlife to look forward to after we pass. Now, this movie was created by the same folks that produced "The Chosen" and "Freedom". Although, it has strong Christian influences, the testimonies aren't heavily faith based. It's a positive movie and worth seeing. Esp for people who may need a spiritual boost or for some that may be suffering from depression. In fact the producers ask that the viewers pay the experience forward to someone in need. It will most likely come out on cable soon too. I recommend it to all people.

Firstly, this is a great documentary that you will not regret watching. Without divulging too much, let me tell you what I appreciate most about this film (which may bother a number of people who watch it). I've worked in disease research, and currently work in cardiovascular science and surgery. Science, by design encapsulates topics which historically turns-out individuals who become inured, rigid, and quite frankly cranky at anything that challenges the current popular "latest and greatest" understandings. I can say, first-hand that although there is improvement in the field over the years there is still a majority of scientists and doctors who remain shutoff to anything remotely perceived as fringe (such as NDE).

What I strongly appreciate about this movie (and is even addressed towards the end) is that it is a conscious effort to broach the subject of NDE using empirical data and information that is difficult to refute. While there is a certain level of depth that each account goes into, the focus is more on the occurrence of the phenomena and the scale that NDE's take place.

Many people will leave the movie wishing it went deeper into the subjective experiences and descriptions of heaven and the afterlife, but I don't think that would have served the purpose of this movie best. For those who already have faith and belief in the afterlife, you don't need further confirmation. Progression doesn't occur in an echo chamber.

To advance the topic of NDE and further our understanding requires introducing the conversation to research scientists who, mostly consider it purely subjective and therefor not warranting further investigation. The means to garnering necessary support is by approaching the topic with what empirical data does exist that irrefutably demonstrates there is something more that is worthy of funding and investigation.

While we all can discuss in great detail the wonder and beauty of seeing our loved ones who have passed on, of feeling the pure and unadulterated love of the creator, it is subjective and counter productive to include in a conversation that is meant to move a fringe topic towards the center of a meaningful round table discussion in order to advance science and medicine. I think this documentary does that beautifully.

After Death is very much worth the watch and I hope it garners some viewers who are currently closed off to the notion of the soul and an afterlife.