After Love

English-Pakistani film-maker Aleem Khans directors debut.

Do we ever truly know our partners, lovers, husband's or wives.

Joanna Scanlon portrays the main protagonist with depth and credibility. The story has been done many times before however the cross channel liaison, the culture entanglements and the actions of Mary are original.

I'm not quite sure how this movie could be seen as implausible as it is possible that it could easily happen. Maybe a use of a word without understanding it.

Would highly recommend.

After Love (2020) follows a British widow, who discovers her late husband has a secret family in France. It really captures a very complex grieving process. The film is very slow and has lots of quiet scenes with few pieces of dialogue. The main character is a British Muslim woman who converts to Islam before marriage. The acting is great, especially from Joanna Scanlan. It's different to what I expected but a great hidden gem. Less than 90 minutes. Definitely recommend this dramatic tale of grief and love. The director shows the quiet days after losing a loved one and how different people process this. Some truly teary moments.

No long boring speeches peppered with big words just for the sake of it. No action sequences. Just reality. Beautiful, heartbreaking reality.

The actors are all perfect for their roles and although the basic plot has been told in a million other stories, there is something really special about After Love. It draws you in and leaves you wanting more.

The mix of English/French/Pakistani cultures is a refreshing change.

I bought this as I love Joanna Scanlan's work but didn't know what to expect before viewing this on Blu Ray but can safely say that this is now one of my favourite films of the 21st Century.

The small cast were all tremendous. Hope to see them all in other things soon.

The movie "After Love" is an adult film that discusses the strength of a relationship of a couple after one departs. The realization that we haven't known the person we've been in living together for many years. The painful discovery of a parallel life that is not part of yours. Joanna Scanlan's performance as Mary is breathtaking, she carries the entire film, and she manages to convince us of the pain of loss, the discovery of betrayal, the fear of entering this parallel life, and the acceptance of reality. It's an enchanting and powerful performance. Director Aleem Khan also brings a mix of cultures (Pakistani, English, and French) which enhances the plot even more.

Her pain is so palpable, she has so beautifully portrayed a woman's world coming crashing over her and then all over again and again, and to discover a bitter sweet emotion, finally a warm love emerges through it all. Such a myriad of feelings.