‘The After’ Short Film Review (Netflix)
Stars: David Oyelowo, Jessica Plummer, Amelie Dokubo, Ellen Francis, Sule Rimi, Tara-Binta Collins, Izuka Hoyle, Dominique Tipper, Nikesh Patel | Written by Misan Harriman, John Julius Schwabach | Directed by Misan Harriman
Marking his directorial debut, director Misan Harriman opens The After with a familiar sight. Dayo (David Oyelowo) is a workaholic father who wears a suit and talks business on the phone, even while with his daughter. As he makes the decision to postpone a meeting in order to spend time with his family, that happiness is changed in a flash when tragedy strikes in violent ways.
The short film then cuts to a later time, with Dayo now living a solitary life working as a rideshare driver. He picks up various passengers, many of whom carry their own problems that he can relate to. As this short centres on him, Oyelowo delivers a terrific performance as the man pushing down his inner pain, ignoring his grief until he must let it all out.
Oyelowo has previously said that he joined the film due to Harriman’s work as a photographer during the Black Lives Matter movement, and how he was struck by each image being a story in and of itself. That power can be felt within scenes, aided by Oyelowo’s effective portrayal, however it can only go so far across the unfolding 18 minutes.
While The After tries to convey an emotional message, the way it is delivered takes too many shortcuts in attempts to prey upon the audience’s feelings. The attempts at emotion feel lacking, resorting to manipulative music choices and repeated shots of the lead looking sad in a car park to try and sell this generic tale of grief. Such issues are especially notable in the opening tragedy, feeling laughable in how it rushes through the inciting incident to accentuate the tragedy.
After watching Harriman’s debut, it is baffling that this short film is Oscar-nominated. If anything, The After resembles a half-hearted short that will appear on Facebook reels.
* ½ 1.5/5
The After is available to watch on Netflix now.
