After (2019) & After We Collided (2020) - Film Reviews

The following reviews are my initial thoughts on both films, which were originally published on Letterboxd - I was not a fan, but I had read both books prior to the release of the respective films and gave impartial and honest reviews.

After (2019)

After reading the first two books of Anna Todd’s series and not being keen on the Hessa dynamic, I wanted to go into this film with an open mind. To start off with a positive, I liked that Todd took this opportunity to expand and develop her original novel, especially by adding a diverse cast and moving away from its One Direction origins - the university setting looked more authentic and true to life. The casting itself was really good - the standouts for me were Josephine Langford, Selma Blair, Inanna Sarkis and Shane Paul McGhie. Even some of the supporting roles were well cast, I especially thought Meadow Williams as Professor Soto was exceptionally good. Visually I thought director Jenny Gage had a good eye and the cinematography was on point.

However, my biggest problem was the screenplay. The story itself felt very disjointed and the relationship wasn’t believable because of how rushed it was. There was no building of tension or developing feelings, most of this was shown through montage. As much as I didn’t like Tessa and Hardin’s book counterparts, I thought there was enough substance to develop both visually for film – the backstory of both of them really weren’t explored as much as they could’ve been. There also felt like a power imbalance between Langford and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin in their performances. While Langford gave believable and quite moving performances consistently, it seemed like it took Fiennes-Tiffin awhile to find his feet with the character.

There were also scenes that felt unnecessary or didn’t really add anything to the plot, which made me think some of the deleted scenes should’ve made the final cut. This film wasn’t as sexualised as the book (which personally I was relieved by), but nor did it offer compelling character moments or dynamics which was a shame and wasted opportunity.

The ending was truly the best part. Tessa showed real character growth, seeking forgiveness from her loved ones and established her own agency - by changing majors and getting the internship independently. She felt like an active protagonist while Hardin remained in a static state of moodiness and remorse. There were also some clever setups for the sequel - which will be written by author Anna Todd, but no word yet on who will be directing.

Not the worst film for its genre, but it definitely lacked depth or complexity which made it quite mediocre.

After We Collided (2020)

With this being my least liked book in the series, I ventured into the cinema with an open mind - again. Yet, I was disappointed in this overall production. Novelist Anna Todd makes her screenwriting debut alongside Marco Celaya and Cruel intentions cult classic director Roger Kumble. With that in mind, I thought the film would have more of a solid structure and voice, but instead it felt disjointed and rushed.

The stars of this series still feel mismatched, while Langford continues to show range and emotion as Tessa, but Hero Fiennes Tiffin is nowhere near her acting ability. This became more apparent as Hardin takes on a narrator role within the plot - his voice was flat and monotonous throughout and lacked the stage presence when performing emotionally challenging scenes. The lack of emotional depth also carried over into Dylan Sprouse’s performance, as well as lacking chemistry with his co-star, there was next to no chemistry between the characters and his portrayal of the “cute nerd” had no appeal. A love triangle is an age old writing tool, but when there’s no conflict or pull between the three characters it’s not a love triangle - After also had this issue with Noah’s character, Tessa is primarily fixed on Hardin, neither Noah or Trevor cause conflict, temptation or tension in the plot.

Truth be told, the supporting cast had me captivated more than the two lead characters. Also in terms of acting, the supporting cast instantly stood out as stronger performers. Louise Lombard as Trish Daniels was genius casting and she shone in all scenes - it was a shame that they couldn’t do the scene with Selma Blair, but she did a great job in her cameo scene and props to her for reprising her role as Tessa’s mother.

I’ll admit the script had a little bit more of a structure compared to its prequel, but as stated this is rushed. You couldn’t sit in an emotion or feel the consequences of a choice or action before something else happened - mainly sex scenes. Let’s be honest, the sex scenes being so close together added nothing to the plot or character development. Lack of chemistry aside, it was totally unnecessary - it came across like they were overcompensating for the lack of sex in the prequel.

Returning back to the rushed narrative, whenever something happened, a pop song would play over a sad montage. The only scene this worked was the “Nine Days” sequence - Little Mix’s Love Me or Leave Me was the only one to actually compliment the scene. Every other music scene would’ve been much more effective with silence or a score.

The director wasn’t as good as I was expecting, but the Anna Todd cameo as a writer sat feet away from her characters - took me right out of the narrative.

The drama and the stakes were too high, which made the story lack any emotional impact. They should’ve let the plot breathe and build up to a dramatic or intense plot point and developed authentic chemistry with the three leads.

Will I see the recently confirmed third and fourth film? Probably. Am I looking forward to it? Unfortunately not.

Both films were a one and a half star rating for me