| The Aftermath | |
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_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Kent |
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| Based on | The Aftermath 2013 novel byRhidian Brook |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Franz Lustig |
| Edited by | Beverley Mills |
| Music by | Martin Phipps |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
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| Box office | $9.2 million[1] |
The Aftermath is a 2019drama film directed byJames Kent and written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, based on the 2014 novel of the same name byRhidian Brook. It starsKeira Knightley,Alexander Skarsgård andJason Clarke. The film had its world premiere at theGlasgow Film Festival on 26 February 2019.[2] It was released in the United States on 15 March 2019, byFox Searchlight Pictures.[3] It is the last Fox Searchlight Pictures film to be released before theacquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney.
The Aftermath is set in theBritish occupation zone in post-war Germany in 1945. Rachael Morgan arrives in the ruins ofHamburg in the bitter German winter to be reunited with her husband Lewis Morgan, a colonel ofBritish Forces Germany charged withrebuilding the shattered city under theAllied Control Council, and dealing with violent insurgentWerwolf activities. The couple, whose relationship is tense, stay in the requisitioned house of architect Stefan Lubert and his teenage daughter Freda Lubert. Lewis allows Stefan and Freda stay in the attic, a decision that Rachael is initially unhappy with because of herhatred of Germans due to her and Lewis' son Michael being killed duringthe Blitz. She is very rude to Stefan. Meanwhile, Freda becomes romantically involved with Bertie, a young Werwolf activist.
Rachael eventually bonds with Stefan over shared grief: his wife was killed byAllied bombing. They begin an affair. The situation is complicated by British Forces Germany suspecting Stefan of Werwolf membership, though it is actually Bertie who is involved. Lewis realises Rachael and Stefan are having an affair when he learns of her advocating for Stefan to receive hisPersilschein. When Lewis confronts Rachael, she tells him that she is leaving him to be with Stefan. Bertie tries toassassinate Lewis but misses and kills Lewis'sbatman. Bertie flees across a frozen river but falls through the ice to his death. Lewis tells Rachael to leave the next morning. After Lewis admits his grief over Michael to Rachael, she hugs him. She accompanies Stefan and Freda to the railway station, but decides to stay with Lewis instead of leaving with Stefan.
In August 2016, it was announcedFox Searchlight Pictures acquired the film, withAlexander Skarsgård andKeira Knightley, James Kent directing it from a screenplay by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, whileRidley Scott as a producer under hisScott Free Productions banner.[4][5] That same month,Jason Clarke joined the cast of the film.[6] In February 2017, Fionn O'Shea joined the cast.[7]
Principal photography began in January 2017, inPrague,Czech Republic.[8] Street scenes with bombed out buildings were filmed in a disused sugar factory there.[9]Slapy Castle, just outside the city, doubled for Lubert's home.[9]
The Aftermath was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 11 June 2019.[10]
The Aftermath has grossed $9.2 million worldwide.[10][1]
Thereview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, reported that 26% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 156 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Tasteful to a fault,The Aftermath is worth seeking out only for the most passionate period drama enthusiasts."[11] OnMetacritic, the film has aweighted average score of 43 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]
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