After the Shock

In my non-stop search for disaster movies (a favorite subgenre of mine) I stumbled upon this obscure and virtually unknown TV movie from 1990, but "After the Shock" is not a typical or standard disaster movie with sensational special effects and fake characters, like we saw a bunch of them in the 70s and early 80s.

"After the Shock" is a very sober film, and almost a documentary/reconstruction about the tragic aftermath of Loma Prieta earthquake that occurred on October 17, 1989, in the wider San Francisco region. Less than a year after the facts, writer/director Gary Sherman came with this unremarkable film, which is mainly a tribute to the ordinary people who, immediately after the quake and at the risk of their own lives, spontaneously started to help victims they did not know and never met before. The actions of these people unfolded naturally, and much faster and more numerous than the emergency services. They saved several lives. The story focuses on three precarious situations, namely the collapsed Cypress Street Viaduct, a raging fire in an apartment building, and another apartment building across the street that was on the verge of collapsing. There are a few familiar faces in "After the Shock" (like Yaphet Kotto from "Alien" and "Live and Let Die"), but that's not the point here. It's about the people they depict; - unknown and unsung heroes.

This made-for-T.V. film is a realistic, gripping portrayal of the mutual assistance ordinary citizens provided to trapped victims of the Loma Prieta earthquake which caused massive damage throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989. Wonderful photography. The cast melds well known stars (i.e., Rue McClanahan and Yaphet Kotto) with many lesser known actors and even an actual victim, the humorous in the face of adversity, Nicholas Zaninovich.

I remember the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. To that point in my life I'd never seen so much devastation. The city I was in wasn't impacted as much as Oakland and San Francisco, but even cities that weren't directly affected were indirectly affected.

"After the Shock" does give certain people some due recognition. I'm sure they all deserve it and then some. Sadly, the movie was terribly boring. "After the Shock" is a blend of actual footage and dramatic reenactment. Sure, it gives the film more authenticity, but that doesn't make for good viewing. There had to be a more creative way of showing the work, sacrifice, cooperation, and patience of both rescuers and rescued. I think they would've been better off running actual footage and having interviews with various survivors and rescue workers.

I hate to be so critical because I'm happy that the disaster as well as those impacted by the disaster were shown to the world. At the same time I think an event such as the one we had here in the Bay Area deserves a better movie.