The After (2023)
Director: Misan Harriman
Screenwriters: John Julius Schwabach, Misan Harriman
Starring: David Oyelowo, Jessica Plummer, Amelie Dokubo
Grief and social awareness of violence are the central themes of The After, a 19-minute live-action short directed by Misan Harriman and nominated for an Academy Award. Harriman, known primarily for his photography and activism, makes his film debut with a work that aims to confront the aftermath of a fatal stabbing in London and the emotional toll on those left behind.
David Oyelowo anchors the film as a father who witnesses his daughter’s murder and then watches his wife die soon after. The story follows his attempt to carry on while coping with overwhelming sorrow and regret. Oyelowo delivers a committed performance that holds many of the film’s shots and emotional beats. Some moments are quietly powerful and intimate; others feel less assured, lacking the subtlety the subject demands. Overall, Oyelowo serves as the emotional center around which the narrative’s ideas revolve.
The film does not shy away from the brutal immediacy of the violent act it depicts. The stabbing sequence is raw and abrupt, reflecting the disorienting reality of such an event for survivors and witnesses. That honesty gives the film urgency and contemporary relevance, but the focus quickly shifts from the act itself to the prolonged processing of grief. The narrative chooses contemplation over forensic detail, centering on the father’s inward journey rather than broader social diagnosis.
Despite its serious subject, The After displays several stylistic and structural weaknesses that are surprising given Harriman’s visual background. Early edits can feel disjointed, making it hard to track the chronology and undermining the film’s emotional rhythm. Certain scenes resort to familiar gestures—like the protagonist alone in a car, staring at a photograph—that have become conventional shorthand for sorrow. These clichés reduce the sense of originality and weaken viewer engagement at crucial moments.
Visually, the short is polished but often conventional. Many camera angles remain at eye or shoulder height, producing a neutral, observational perspective rather than a deliberately crafted visual language. The imagery is glossy and high-definition, but it seldom uses texture, grain, or distinctive lens choices to deepen emotional resonance. A few sequences—such as a sunset-lit scene—show visual ambition, but they don’t offset the overall impression of visual safe choices rather than expressive risk-taking. For a director with a celebrated photography career, the film’s visual strategy occasionally feels restrained rather than revelatory.
The After aims to comment on knife crime in London and to honor the human cost of such violence by focusing on those who survive the aftermath. That purpose is laudable and gives the film a clear moral center. However, the film’s approach leans on familiar tropes about masculinity and protection, portraying the grieving father as the archetypal protector who must appear stoic. Showing a man in pain is valid and necessary, but the film’s treatment of masculinity sometimes feels surface-level, missing opportunities to probe deeper into identity, community, or systemic causes.
Questions about why this particular short received Academy recognition are bound to follow. The After benefits from high-profile names attached to it, and that attention may have influenced its visibility among awards voters. As a standalone work, the film mixes poignant elements with underdeveloped ideas, leaving the impression that its subject matter and creators’ reputations helped elevate it beyond what the film’s own creative choices fully justify.
There are strengths here: a sincere lead performance, a clear moral intention, and moments of honest emotion. Yet as an Oscars nominee, The After feels uneven—its pacing, edit choices, and visual conservatism hold it back from achieving the depth and inventiveness exhibited by many other short films. Viewers interested in thoughtful depictions of loss will find something to respect, but those looking for a more daring or fully realized cinematic statement may be disappointed.
Score: 10/24