After Life
1999 ‘Wandâfuru raifu’ Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
Synopsis
Hirokazu Kore-ede’s (Nobody Knows) award-winning film is a warm and inventive story about what matters in the world beyond. At a station somewhere between heaven and earth, the newly dead are greeted by guides that help the dead look through their memories and find the one defining moment of their lives. The guides are then tasked to re-create the past as the dead remember it, so that they may always keep with them their most beloved of remembrances. But what of the mysterious guides and their strange jobs of inspiring and then remaking and evoking events and emotions from the past? Were they once alive too, did they have memories? Kore-eda’s film explores a universal, human theme with an unusual story suffused in a glowing mysteriousness to find what is most touching, most surprising, most romantic, and ultimately most memorable about the lives people live.
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Hirokazu Koreeda’s After Life is an arresting and thought provoking blend of fantasy and documentary. Set in limbo, yet devoid of religious denominations, it is a halfway house for the recently deceased before they move on to their final resting place. Whilst in limbo each guest must choose one single memory to take with them that will then be recreated by the staff and played on an endless loop for all eternity. After Life might not be the best Japanese film ever made but it is certainly amongst my favourite.
Director, Koreeda, has repeatedly explored the themes of time, memory and death in his films but none more so directly than in this, his greatest work. It is a touching…
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The premise of the film, and the dialogues of the characters are both so thought provoking that me and my girlfriend had to pause the film (several times actually) to discuss our own favourite memories. Let's be honest. Is there even possible not spending time thinking about that one perfect memory when watching this film?
Although there are a lot of different characters in the movie, both newcomers and those working in "limbo", we have no trouble telling them apart. Each one is unique and irreplaceable, and I fell deeply in love with all of them. I guess the reason for this is that the fact that most of the memories they tell are their own real, actual memories. Many…
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I wonder, how many can honestly say after watching this, that they didn't spend at least a few minutes trying to pick that one memory?
It's hard to review this film shortly after watching it for the first time. It's beautiful in so many ways. For instance I really like that they aren't simply able to pull that single memory from people's minds, but have to recreate it manually. I like that they keep scenes from actual lives on video cassettes but the memories are created on film. I like that the people working there, formerly unable to help themselves has to to spend eternity helping others. There isn't a single character that I didn't associate with. And I simply…
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If you had to distill your life into a single moment that defines you, that made you happy, that you were proud of, could you do it? If this is the end of your life, and this moment is the only one you could take with you beyond, could you do it?
This is the question that Hirokazu Koreeda poses in After Life. It’s a gentle, sweet, and strangely peaceful tale that is filled with poignant moments and stories, and raises more spiritual questions than it answers.
A true gem.
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'After life, after reality" - like that famous song by The Souls 2 Soul.
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First off, I am noting that I watched this at the complete wrong time. I watched this starting at 10 at night, when I was a bit drowsy. I never fell asleep because it was so well done, but I don't think my brain was fully ready to process such a deep philosophical film. It appeared a bit on the slow moving side to me, but possibly due to my more tired state. I hope for a re-watch in the next while to truly appreciate it more because I feel I love it more.
That all being said I still appreciated the messages this film brought up. Thinking back on your own life, reminiscing of the times you had. What…
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Fantastic idea stifled by a lack of development. I really wish there was more to it...
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'After life, after reality" - like that famous song by The Souls 2 Soul.
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Catching up on my Kore-eda. Like his others, this one stays with you well after the movie ends.
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small typical japanese melodrama ruins the overall effect
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Charming and delightfully ponderous movie on a bureaucratic take on the after life. Not quite DEFENDING YOUR LIFE but it's in the same ballpark as Brooks' film.
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Day 5. 13th Film, 12th Country: Japan
of the "May: 30 Days, 30 Countries" Challenge.Wonderful idea which should be turned into a TV series. After you die you can pick one moment from your life which you will experience through all eternity. The film made me reflect on my own life and what I would pick. Often the most simple moments in life are the most beautiful ones.
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83
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The only film that has ever made me cry purely because of the profundity of its underlying conceit.
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The premise of the film, and the dialogues of the characters are both so thought provoking that me and my girlfriend had to pause the film (several times actually) to discuss our own favourite memories. Let's be honest. Is there even possible not spending time thinking about that one perfect memory when watching this film?
Although there are a lot of different characters in the movie, both newcomers and those working in "limbo", we have no trouble telling them apart. Each one is unique and irreplaceable, and I fell deeply in love with all of them. I guess the reason for this is that the fact that most of the memories they tell are their own real, actual memories. Many…