| After | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jenny Gage |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | After byAnna Todd |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Michelle Harrison |
| Music by | Justin Burnett |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Aviron Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $14 million[2] |
| Box office | $69.5 million[2] |
After is a 2019 Americanromantic drama film directed by Jenny Gage, who co-wrote the screenplay withSusan McMartin, Tamara Chestna, and Tom Betterton, based on the 2014 novelof the same name byAnna Todd. It is the first installment in theAfter film series. The film starsHero Fiennes Tiffin andJosephine Langford and follows a young woman who begins to romance a mysterious student during her first months of college. The cast includesSelma Blair,Inanna Sarkis,Shane Paul McGhie,Pia Mia, Khadijha Red Thunder,Dylan Arnold,Samuel Larsen,Jennifer Beals andPeter Gallagher in supporting roles.
After premiered atThe Grove in Los Angeles on April 8, 2019, and was released in the United States on April 12, byAviron Pictures. Despite negative reviews from critics, who criticized its screenplay and narrative glamorizing abusive relationships, it was a commercial success, grossing over $69 million worldwide against its $14 million budget.
A sequel,After We Collided, was released in 2020.
Tessa Young begins her first year of college by moving into her dorm room with the help of her mother, Carol, and her boyfriend, Noah. During this process she meets her new roommate Steph and her girlfriend Tristan. The day after, Tessa shares a brief encounter with Steph's friend, Hardin Scott.
The following day Steph persuades Tessa to attend a party where she meets her other friends: Zed, Molly, and Jace, and meets Hardin for the second time. The group play truth or dare, which reveals Tessa's virginity; she is dared to kiss Hardin but refuses. Later on at the party Hardin attempts to kiss Tessa, but she rejects his advances and leaves.
The following day Tessa meets with Landon, a classmate she met on her first day of classes, who reveals to her that he and Hardin are soon to become stepbrothers, with his mother engaged to Hardin's father. Following a class debate Hardin again approaches Tessa and insists they start over, inviting her to a nearby lake.
While they swim, Hardin kisses Tessa, saying that they cannot remain only friends. Later, they encounter Molly and Zed at a diner, following which Tessa promises to tell her boyfriend about the kiss she shared with Hardin. He tells her not to do so, saying that he does not date, disappointing her.
Noah surprises Tessa with a visit, and they experience an evening together around a bonfire. In a game of 'suck and blow' at the bonfire party, Jace purposely fails in order to kiss Tessa, making Hardin jealous and leading to a physical confrontation. While Noah sleeps in Tessa's bed after the party, she leaves to check in on Hardin, who has destroyed the house in a drunken rage. She comforts him and they kiss.
The next day Tessa returns to her dorm to check on Noah who, realising her affair with Hardin, leaves her, heartbroken. Tessa and Hardin finally decide to date, but her mother threatens to cut her off financially if she continues the relationship, believing him to be a bad influence.
Hardin finds an apartment for them to live together in and they attend his father's wedding reception. He reveals that his father was a drunk and his mother was assaulted by some men his father provoked while intoxicated. Tessa comforts him, and they head back to their apartment where she loses her virginity to him.
Later, Tessa grows concerned about the text messages sent to Hardin by Molly; she attempts to confront him, but he dismisses her and leaves. After leaving the apartment searching for him, Tessa finds him at a diner with Molly, Zed, Steph, and Jace. Molly cruelly shows Tessa a video from the first party they attended, revealing that he pursued her as a challenge and intended to make her fall in love with him before breaking her heart. Hardin attempts to convince her that his intentions changed as he got to know her, but she ends their relationship.
A heartbroken Tessa returns home to reconcile with her mother and Noah, who both forgive her. In the weeks that follow, she cuts ties with Steph and her group of friends, eventually interviewing for an internship at Vance Publishing. Before Tessa leaves college at the end of the semester, her lecturer hands her an essay written by Hardin, in which he confesses his love for her; after reading it, she returns to the lake to meet him.
In 2013, author Anna Todd posted the first chapters of afanfiction titledAfter on fanfiction- and fiction-publishing websiteWattpad.[3] The fanfiction's original storyline was based on the boybandOne Direction, and featured the band's membersHarry Styles,Liam Payne,Niall Horan,Louis Tomlinson andZayn Malik, portrayed as students atWashington State University. The story followed Tessa Young, an "innocent good girl" who becomes involved in a relationship with "bad boy" Styles.
Within a month of publishing the first chapters, the story had acquired 544 million reads; Todd later landed a deal withSimon & Schuster to publish novelizations of the series, with the lead male character's name changed to Hardin Scott;[3] the novels were subsequently released in 2014. The books gained media attention and becameNew York Times bestsellers.[4]
In 2014, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to adaptAfter for film;[5][6] before the expiry of the company's rights to the film production in mid-2017, the project was headed by screenwriter Susan McMartin. Following this, CalMaple Media and Offspring Entertainment acquired the filming rights, with writer Tamara Chestna hired to rework McMartin's script, and director Jenny Gage overseeing the script's final revisions.[7][8] McMartin, Chestna, and Gage all received final script credit. CalMaple Media'sMark Canton andCourtney Solomon, Offspring Entertainment's Jennifer Gibgot, Wattpad's Aron Levitz,Meadow Williams of Diamond Film Productions and Dennis Pelino were all credited as producers on the film, alongside Todd herself. The film was financed by CalMaple,Voltage Pictures and Diamond Film Productions, with executive production by Swen Temmel, Nicolas Charier, Jonathan Deckter, David Dinerstein, Jason Resnick, Scott Karol, Ian Brereton, Eric Lehrman,Adam Shankman, Brian Pitt and Vassal Benford.Aviron Pictures distributed the film domestically, with Voltage Pictures handling foreign distribution.[9]
On May 8, 2018,Julia Goldani Telles andHero Fiennes Tiffin were cast in the main roles of Tessa Young and Hardin Scott respectively. The actors were selected by the production team, including Todd herself, who was present at the castings and contributed to the casting decisions.[citation needed]
In July 2018, Telles announced her exit from the film due to scheduling conflicts. In the same month,Josephine Langford was announced to play Tessa Young. Todd would later state that once she saw Langford, she "knew right away that was Tessa."[10][11]Pia Mia was cast in the role of Tristan, a previously male character in the books.[12] Executive producer Swen Temmel was cast as Jace,[10]Shane Paul McGhie and Khadijha Red Thunder were added as Landon Gibson and Steph Jones respectively,[13]Samuel Larsen was set as Zed Evans, andInanna Sarkis played Molly Samuels. ProducerMeadow Williams was additionally cast as Professor Soto, another previously male character in the books.[14] On July 27,Peter Gallagher andJennifer Beals were announced to play Ken Scott and Karen Gibson, Hardin's father and Landon's mother, respectively,[15] withSelma Blair announced for Carol Young, Tessa's mother, andDylan Arnold announced for Noah Porter on July 30.[16]
Principal photography was due to begin in June 2018 inBoston, Massachusetts.[17] In early July, producer Jennifer Gibgot stated that shooting would begin on July 16, 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia shortly after Langford had been cast as Tessa.[18] Principal photography was mainly conducted atEmory University, and production was completed on August 24 of the same year.[19]
After premiered atThe Grove in Los Angeles on April 8, 2019,[20] and was released in the United States on April 12, 2019, byAviron Pictures.[21] The film was released in Latin America on April 10, 2019, by Diamond Films, ahead of its North American release.[22]
After grossed $12.1 million in the United States and Canada and $57.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $69.7 million against a production budget of $14 million.[2]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongsideHellboy,Little andMissing Link, and was projected to gross $3–12 million from 2,138 theaters in its opening weekend.[23] The film earned $2.9 million on its first day, including $550,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $6 million, finishing eighth at the box office.[24] In its second weekend, the film dropped 58% to $2.5 million, finishing 11th.[25]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 18% based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Tepid and tired,After's fun flourishes are let down by its generic story."[26] The film has aweighted average of 30 out of 100 onMetacritic, based on eight critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[27] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those atPostTrak gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars.[24]
Critics found the screenplay at fault, withOwen Gleiberman ofVariety writing thatAfter was an "innocuous teen pulp soap opera that flirts with 'danger' but, in fact, keeps surprising you with how mild and safe and predictable it turns out to be."[28] John Fink ofThe Film Stage echoed this sentiment, commenting that "the talented cast is burdened by a dead on arrival screenplay that waters down what could have been an intoxicating tale of first love," though he noted the film was "beautifully shot" and "occasionally aesthetically pleasing."[29]
After won the 2019Teen Choice Award in the category Choice Drama Movie[30] and the 2019E! People's Choice Award in the category The Drama Movie of 2019.[31]
In May 2019, a sequel was announced, with both Langford and Fiennes Tiffin returning to their respective roles.[32]After We Collided released September 2, 2020, with costarsDylan Sprouse,Charlie Weber,Rob Estes,Louise Lombard,Candice King, Karimah Westbrook and Max Ragone.
A second sequel,After We Fell, released September 1, 2021.
A third sequel,After Ever Happy, has been completed and was released on September 7, 2022.[33] Another sequel and prequel were in development,[34] but in 2023,Voltage Pictures announced thatAfter Everything is fifth and final chapter of franchise.
On September 13, 2023, the fourth sequel titledAfter Everything was released with Langford and Fiennes Tiffin both reprising their roles. The fifth and final installment in theAfter film series, it was the only film to not be based on a book in the series.[35]