There's a semi-decent premise lurking somewhere in the depths of AFTER. LIFE but unfortunately it never really rises to the fore. Instead what we're left with is an entirely nondescript film in which very little happens indeed. There's a lot of mood stuff, a lot of atmosphere setting, and plenty of plot points which end up going nowhere, but as a film, AFTER. LIFE is a disappointment.
The acceptable Christina Ricci stars as a young woman involved in a car accident who wakes up on a mortuary table, being attended to by the sinister Liam Neeson. Now, is she really dead and unable to accept the truth about her condition, or is Neeson a psychotic serial killer who enjoys making his victims think they've reached the afterlife? The film never really tells you which is true, providing enough evidence to support either explanation, and by the end you don't really care anyway.
Ricci is quite good in this film although not as good as she's been elsewhere, like BLACK SNAKE MOAN. To be fair, she doesn't have much to do other than wander around nude. Neeson plays it deadpan throughout and doesn't have a great deal to do either; you can tell this film was shot in just a few days. Justin Long, as the frustrated boyfriend, feels weak and out of his depth. AFTER. LIFE is more of an insipid mystery than a real horror film, and as such it's not really worth your time; the lack of explanation makes it an all-too-frustrating watch.
The acceptable Christina Ricci stars as a young woman involved in a car accident who wakes up on a mortuary table, being attended to by the sinister Liam Neeson. Now, is she really dead and unable to accept the truth about her condition, or is Neeson a psychotic serial killer who enjoys making his victims think they've reached the afterlife? The film never really tells you which is true, providing enough evidence to support either explanation, and by the end you don't really care anyway.
Ricci is quite good in this film although not as good as she's been elsewhere, like BLACK SNAKE MOAN. To be fair, she doesn't have much to do other than wander around nude. Neeson plays it deadpan throughout and doesn't have a great deal to do either; you can tell this film was shot in just a few days. Justin Long, as the frustrated boyfriend, feels weak and out of his depth. AFTER. LIFE is more of an insipid mystery than a real horror film, and as such it's not really worth your time; the lack of explanation makes it an all-too-frustrating watch.