After...

The film starts out well, with urban explorers doing their thing. They film their exploits and post them to a web site, gaining fame and friends along the way.

Then they go on a trip to Moscow and things go haywire. It's a good movie up to that point, but when the surrealism starts the fun is all over. You can't tell what is really happening, what parts are just surrealism, and what is just some kind of flashback. That spoils the whole intent of the movie - if you don't know what's going on, it's hard to enjoy.

It's not a bad movie, and I liked watching it, but the whole thing was spoiled for me by the repeated flashbacks, people coming back to life, people disappearing, walls fluctuating, etc. I lost the thread of what was really happening at that point, and so stopped caring.

In a lot of ways it reminds me of Primer, another movie that was good but somewhat hard to keep track of.

Erratic camera-work, extreme close-ups, shifting focus, and rapid cuts: when utilised sparingly by a proficient director working in conjunction with a skilled editor, these movie-making techniques can help to effectively convey urgency, panic, and terror; however, in the hands of a less talented film-maker, one who lacks the finesse and experience to make judicious use of such methods, the results can be virtually unwatchable. Such is the case with David L. Cunningham's After.

I've seen a lot of bad films in my time, but there are very few that I loathe with such intensity as this virtually unwatchable mess, 76 minutes of migraine inducing garbage during which Cunningham never once uses a tripod, rarely sustains a shot for over a second, dispenses with such trivialities as keeping his picture in focus, and shines as many bright lights directly into the camera lens as humanly possible.

If all of that wasn't bad enough, the plot is completely unfathomable for 99% of the running time, after which all becomes clear(ish) with a trite twist ending that didn't even seem all that fresh over two decades ago when Adrian Lyne used it for Jacob's Ladder (a film that After clearly strives to emulate).

I do not understand the negative comments posted here. This film is definitely worth watching. The movie held me to the very last frame. Maybe because I "got it" where some didn't. This film makes you think, and the cinematography, editing and sound fit perfectly with the style of story telling. I found the characters very believable and the tunnel shots kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. And the music - the music provided the perfect ambiance.

I normally don't react to the comments of others but their negativity is uncalled. There are really bad movies out and this is NOT one of them. Maybe the other reviewers expected a formulaic piece of fluff - AFTER is definitely not that. Give this movie a chance. It's a very good film.

The movie had a slow start but it had a very interesting perspective after a bit. It sort of introduces you to the whole urban explorer thing then gets into the story heavily. Very dynamic ending and exciting twists.

I feel sorry for the girl, she had it that hardest, will sort of. : 0 That would be one hell of a way to spend your vacation. Sort of a bit of hell meets extreme sports adventure. Either way it was fun to watch. Just wouldn't want to go there myself.

I think this is one of those movies that will be very interesting to watch a second time on DVD. There is so much going on!

Director David L. Cunningham takes the audience on a rough-edged ride with three extreme thrill-seekers, running us out of the blocks with a dramatic BASE jump and hauling us into Moscow's underground subways, chiefly the infamously secret Metro-2 line purportedly built in Stalin's time. Guerrilla-style in the actual tunnels, this is head-spinning film-making, an experience where rushing trains rattle your teeth; when a character scratches his neck, your neck itches too; and you feel irradiated an hour in. Without giving it away, the movie's a head- flip on a story level too, as screenwriter Kevin Miller and Cunningham rope in themes of love, guilt, regret, and bottomless loss so densely with the adventure that you're still sifting through them long after the credits have played.

The sharp intimate scenes and claustrophobic mood are highly suited for DVD view.