I have always been intrigued by Roger Ebert’s disappointment with voters and his review of the resoundingly unfavored film by Paul Schrader’s Domininion: Prequel to The Exorcist (Hackett imposed an inferior Tom Cruise – starring The Exorcist: The Beginning to appeal for wider audiences). It is rather bizarre to observe someone of such a praised writer’s (Taxi Driver) and mentor’s (American Gigolo) ilk directing the five part of a horror series, however, since the original, Schrader failed to make the first good Exorcist film for the following reason which Ebert hits on. The critic describes his film this way, “Does something which is bold and innovative rather than the tired worn out formula of horror films nowadays. It treats evil as something real.” The title Dominion comes to mind after seeing the new horror drama Here After, and also for another reason.
Evert proceeds in his review of the film Dominion: “And yes, in the Schrader version there are real, very real dark satanic forces. This one takes a priest who is a Holocaust survivor and inquires whether such a person can ever again trust the mercy of God… It has a spiritual dimension and texture too. And courageously dares to address the issue of Satan’s presence in the world.” And this also is what makes Here After so important and convincing – here is a film that treats its magic subjects with all the due respect, both theological and psychological. Here is a film that evangelizes, and this is what makes the moody universalistic ideas of the film, such as guilt and forgiveness, far more potent. In a sense, this is a Catholic spin on the search and destroy order of Calvinism exemplified by Schwartz.
Enough of my diatribe, though — Here After is a mesmerizing film bursting with audacity–it is: without doubt the one great reversal that one finds in here. Connie Britton is excellent in her role as Claire, an American who is nunnery in Rome trying hard to achieve a great life for her only child, only this time in the form of fasonization. Both women suffer the trauma of a catastrophe that happened in their lives. The film is not flawless, but it is among those ones that are unforgettable, even in the entire sequence of the latter dated, when it comes to times like this because of such strong devotion given to the theme of spirituality.
Such incident also took place some years ago for Claire and also her daughter Robin (Freya Hannan-Mills), which remains dormant in the story of here after, which also explains Claire’s divorce from Robin’s Italian dad, and the problems with Robin’s language as well. She has never spoken, and although she is not mute, undeveloped, and did not expect anyone like any other girl to be a musician without speech, she communicates in ASL and practice yoga. Claire and Robin share an intense bond, all of them under one roof with Robin being a pupil to Claire, who is a teacher there. They’re living with the demons of the past, or rather shadows of them.
When Robin has a terrible accident, it seems that she is going above all up to heaven. As Claire holds the beads of Rosary and prays to the cross on the wall of hospital’s chapel, the period for which Robin is pronounced dead is becoming more and more extensive. Religion has always been a comforter to Claire and it appeals to her in mercy here — Robin not only survives (and sans brain injury) but it turns out that she speaks again. Thank God for everything.
However, as time passes, it seems that this new spirit is even darker, more ruthless and more familiar than the Robin with whom her parents became accustomed. Her studies and the love for the piano disintegrate; she grows iller with each passing day and uses foul language; she becomes fixated on dead or almost dead birds. What Claire did to save Robin from within was some kind of religion and what she does to face the girl’s disturbing side is also that. Should frightening visions and violent behavior be corrected with prayers?
Of course, what ends up actually happening in Here After is better left unspoiled but it must suffice to say that the only way out is through. Claire researches a fantastic local support group of people with near death experiences or someone who knows someone with such, and strikes up an intellectual relationship with the group’s head, Dr. Ben (soulful Tommaso Basili). This finally provides Claire (and Connie Britton, not the film) with the position where the dialogue is progressive and interesting thoughts follow after a rather slumbering first act.
The film Here After seems to improve in relation to the revelation and development of Claire’s back-story. The film’s deepest dives are into spirituality. In terms of Catholic meanings and elements, the film contains many baptismal symbolic as well as ideas of stigmata and crucifix, Catholic repression and guilt and insurpassable sorrows and wastelands of suffering and forgiveness. In the final frame, Cindy Britton absoutely persuades you that it is not only matter of life and death, it is also a matter of life after death.
Needless to mention, Director Robert Salerno did absolutely amazing work in his directorial debut as in his first movie he manages to forward his important components, astonishing images of Rome (courtesy of Bartosz Nalazek) and emotional pieces of music (one of them was prepared in an appropriate manner by Fabrizio Mancinelli) to a blast that will take your breath away and probably bring some tears out.
Here After may seem like a strange film for Salerno just as it was for Dominion and Paul Schrader. He is a producer off the films where some of the most brilliant directors have worked within the last 25 years – 21 grams, wishing the single man, we need to talk about Kevin, and I am thinking of ending things, anime smile. A low budget indie movie that boasts an almost entirely Italian cast and crew is a bit ‘too much’ for Salerno but at least is the reasonable expectation. Even though it is a small endeavor, we give enough motivation and interest to the project that Britton’s great performance (along with Sarah Conradt’s nicely woven story) makes Here After attempt to become one of the best ‘horror’ movies in recent history.
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