After Life

After Life is a story about what happens after death. I didn't know what to expect at first and it was a little hard to watch with subtitles as I am one to watch the actual characters rather than reading subtitles. However, the film had an impact on me long after I had watched it. The film addressed the issue of life after death from a different point of view than what is typically portrayed in the United States. Normally, American films incorporate Christianity or some form of angels and God into any life after death story. They are typically laden with the bright white light phenomenon.

I felt that the movie was dealt with in a realistic manner; as realistic as life after death can be. The message of the film, though, is something that can be incorporated by the living. In the film, after someone dies they are taken to a place where they wait for one week. During that week they have three days to come up with one memory that they would like to spend eternity with. Some chose their memory immediately, some struggled with coming up with a memory, and some refused to choose at all. I personally tried to think of one memory from my life that I would like to spend the rest of eternity with and I could not think of a single one. That is disheartening. It really made me think about where I have been in my life and where I am going and that I need to take the time to make memories that are worth spending eternity with.

As the movie progressed it was evident that even those who chose their memories quickly had some issues with them. Most had recreated their lives in their minds to be what they had wanted them to be; not what they actually were. It was amazing that they chose to live in a memory for eternity that did not actually happen except in their minds. This made me question true reality. How much of what we think happened has actually happened as our minds envision it? In the end, would we have to choose a memory to spend eternity with that didn’t really happen?

I found that this film taught a lot about life. It also showed a different perspective on how life could be after death. We tend to get caught up in the idea that when we die we are going to go to heaven, meet Jesus and God, and all our deceased loved ones will be there waiting for us. We will proceed through the pearly gates and all will be bliss for eternity. Of course, there is always the option of burning in hell for eternity. This film was not as much about sin and repentance as it was a lesson in how we live our lives, how we perceive our lives and how others perceive us during our lifetime. This was apparent when the one character, who finally chose a memory after thirty years, said that even though he did not have a happy memory to choose he realized that he had been part of someone else’s happiness and that is where he wanted to spend eternity.

I really liked how the director approached this subject. I really liked everything about this film. I especially liked how each character participated in the recreation and filming of their eternal memory. It really put a focus on the thin line between fantasy and reality. They would not spend eternity within the actual memory, but within a recreated memory made to look as real as possible. There were many parts in the movie where it was difficult to decipher between fantasy and reality. They showed several scenes where the focus was the beautiful moon above which could be seen through a skylight. Towards the end they showed one of the characters looking up at the moon as another opens the skylight hatch. It becomes obvious that this beautiful moon was just an illusion painted on the inside of the skylight hatch; it was never truly real at all. This showed how in life we have a hard time deciphering what is real and what is an illusion. When trying to decide we have to contend with all of our preconceived notions of how the world works; of how we think things are. Rather than questioning what we are taught to believe we just conform and move on assuming that things are as we have been told.

I am not sure that I would change anything about this movie. It was great just the way it was. However, being forever a romantic, I think I would have further expanded on the relationship between the young male and female characters. It would have been good to see the two of them reach some form of happiness together since they were so tortured in the afterlife. They didn’t seem to have had any peace in life or in death. This would have been the proverbial happy ending, but of course, things don’t work that way in real life.

I thought the actors and actresses did a terrific job and the movie flowed perfectly. I feel that I probably missed some of the deeper meaning because I was trying to read the subtitles. I am a people watcher and learn a great deal from watching how people move and their facial expressions to get the full effect, even in films. However, if I would learn Japanese, I would not have to read the subtitles! I really liked the film and its message and I have already recommended it to several people. It gave me something to think about and to work on in my own life. To me that is what makes a movie good. Sometimes there is not a clear divide between fantasy and reality. Sometimes our mind recreates our past in an effort to stymie the pain and embarrassment that reality brings to life.