The review of The Here After by Elke Eijsink
‘How do you come back in the society after a crime and forget about a regrettable past?’ seems to be the discussion and message of The Here After (Efterskalv), starring Ulrik Munther who plays the role of a young, damaged boy who wants nothing more than to fit in again. Director Magnus von Horn, making his feature debut, created this drama movie that tells the story of the aftermath of a crime committed by a teen boy in a small town in Sweden.
The action starts off with John (Ulrik Munther) being released from the prison where he was staying for two years. His dad, Martin (Mats Blomgren), picks him up and they get into the car, heading home. Immediately there is a lot of tension between them and it does not go unnoticed that their relationship is bad. Once they arrive home, John wrestles with his younger brother Filip (Alexander Nordgren) and they do chores together. The relationship with his brother seems to be good compared to the relationship he has with his controlling dad, but they do not speak about the fact that he just came out of prison and why he was there.
It quickly becomes clear that the crime John committed was very serious and cruel, because as soon as he goes to the supermarket, he gets attacked by a woman. Meanwhile, the audience still does not know what the actual crime is, which creates a mixed feeling of curiosity and fearfulness. It becomes clear that the people in his small community are not happy to see him and it is obvious that the crime has not been forgiven or forgotten by his former friends and their parents. These hateful reactions towards John from his local community also appear at his school. The director and the teachers of the school are clearly uncomfortable with him being back at their school and are maybe even a bit scared of him. Other students call him out on his crime in the classroom, throw his food on the ground in the cafeteria and punch him in the locker hall. All of this witnessed by his little brother who seems to be confused about all the actions.
– Ulrik Munther as John
Von Horn eventually reveals that John was in prison for a brutal crime against his ex-girlfriend. John seems to be struggling with his motives of the crime as he tries to explain them to a new girl at his school, Malin (Loa Ek), who is obviously interested in him and the crime he committed. She does not seem to understand why John won’t fight back when he is attacked and he tries to explain to her that he does not want to experience the feeling of being alone ever again. Here you can find the trailer of ‘The Here After’
The camerawork from cinematographer Lukasz Zal is very static with abrupt cuts and long shots of certain situations, settings or a single person which gives the audience the chance to empathize with the characters and really think about their feelings in that specific moment. The icy-cold glow that is present in the camera settings represents the isolated and abandoned feelings of John perfectly. Von Horn created this movie in a minimalist style with long silences and a music-free soundtrack.
Magnus von Horn’s feature debut ‘The Here After’ is definitely a movie worth watching during the London Film Festival. Although the story is not specifically unique, the way the movie was shot, the way their feelings were clearly expressed and the way the great performances of the actors came out in this movie gives a clear promise for future projects of Magnus von Horn and all the actors involved in this movie.
Hereafter (Efterskalv) is on at Curzon Soho 9th of October 21.00, 11th of October at Ritzy Cinema at 13.00
Get tickets here
