After Life (Movieland)

After Life

Wandafuru raifu Japon 1998 | Hirokazu Kore-eda | vostEN | 119’ | digital | Cast : Aratu Iura, Erika Oda, Susumu Terajima, Yusuke Iseya,Takashi Naito

A group of some 20-odd people who have recently died find themselves in a limbo realm. Counsellors are on hand to explain that they have a few days to pick one memory from their lives to bring with them into eternity. Once the memories are chosen, the staff go through great pains to make a short film representing each one so this perfect memory can be taken to the afterlife.

« Kore-eda, with this film and the 1997 masterpiece Maborosi, has earned the right to be considered with Kurosawa, Bergman and other great humanists of the cinema. His films embrace the mystery of life, and encourage us to think about why we are here, and what makes us truly happy. At a time when so many movies feed on irony and cynicism, here is a man who hopes we will feel better and wiser when we leave his film. » (Roger Ebert)

« How people remember, how they fictionalize their memories, and the nature of memory itself are all part of the fascination of After Life. » (Film Journal International)