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'After'

Thoughts 'after' watching the film...

By Melissa DellPublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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'After' trailer

After is a film about a freshman, Tessa Young, who was the perfect girl. Good grades, respectful daughter, and a loyal lover to her high school boyfriend. After starting the first semester of her first year of college, Tessa crosses paths with mysterious and rich, boy Hardin Scott. Hardin, although mysterious, is from London, England and was settling into a new life with his father and stepmother. Their lives were so different, yet connected so magically that they both changed in ways that only suited one another.

Key events

Perfect start. Tessa lying on her bed slightly worried for her first day of college. She is brought out of her misery when being called downstairs by her mother. We meet her boyfriend, Noah, who is still in high school going through his final year as a senior. He's sweet, bubbly and totally in love with his perfect girlfriend who's in love with him. They have a relationship that is workable for both of them...

Tessa is placed in a room with a gothic roommate, Stephanie. Although her mother isn't too happy with the situation, Tessa persuades her mother to let the fight go. Tessa and Stephanie bond instantly, and Stephanie takes Tessa for her first night out. This becomes Tessa ad Hardin's first meeting for a lifetime.

Tessa makes her first friend, Landon, by both having something in common; they were both early birds, eager to learn Economics. We later discover that Landon has a direct connection to Hardin; they are stepbrothers.

Hardin enrolls into Tessa and Landon's English Literature class, and unsurprisingly, the teacher volunteers Hardin to answer the question in class. This ignites the first conflict between Hardin and Tessa, as they discuss romance from a book, discreetly disclosing the connection they had prior to this moment

Hardin and Tessa meet eyes in a coffee shop. That's where we learn they can't keep their eyes off of each other. He asks her to follow him, and she reluctantly put her trust in him and follows. They are in the woods surrounding a still lake. The peaceful lake is disturbed by their bodies connecting, skin to skin, underwater. More than just their skin embraced in that water, but also their hearts.

They go on a date. All is going well until Hardin's friends show up, and Tessa is forced to leave. They fight.

Landon calls, Hardin is angry. There's broken glass. Tessa cuts her hand. Hardin calms down and apologizes for her pain. In that vulnerable moment, they both feel one another.

Their love is undeniable. Hardin pursues Tessa, and Tessa is open to the attention. He goes where she goes, and she goes where he goes. They become one another's rock, and they move in together.

Tessa's mother plans a visit to get Tessa back on track, and Tessa fights back, believing in the power of love; her mother backs off.

Tessa and Hardin fight. Tessa reawakens, and goes back to her old life before Hardin. Tessa's English Literature teacher gives Tessa Hardin's work, proving his love for her. Tessa loves him too.

Tessa and Hardin are swept back into their love; the story ends with the couple back at the lake

Noted Points

One of the scenes presents the individuals, Hardin and Tessa, as naked in a forest. This is intertextuality of Adam and Eve. This could symbolize how the couple are a part of one another. They are natural when together. They are meant to be.

The mise-en-scene of the character Stephanie's (a senior), room fits the profile of a goth or punk. Her clothing fits the profile perfectly, yet her characteristics do not fit the stereotypes of a goth or punk. Stephanie is too voluntarily involved in Tessa's (a freshman) life. This is unusual. Goths appear to keep to themselves, and besides her character label, she is a senior and Tessa is a freshman; seniors shouldn't have time to hang with a freshman.

It's too cliché that Landon is directly related to Tessa's potential love interest. Unfortunately, it appears that Hardin is the only point of discussion for these friends. This is disappointing; Landon and Tessa don't appear to be real friends.

Hardin's features do not appear to subscribe to the mysterious, bad boy character he has been ascribed. His features are soft and kind, which eludes the mark he has of being the wrong, yet right, choice

When on a date with Tessa, Hardin's bitten-into burger was facing Tessa and the audience. Surely if you bit into a burger, you would have it facing towards you and the direction of your mouth?

When Noah left after discovering Tessa had been cheating on him, he never had a moment to gather his things. What did Tessa do with Noah's things? Did he come back for them?

Is Molly Hardin's girlfriend? Did Molly and Hardin have a previous fling?

Landon is a black character. Yet his mother, who married Hardin's father, is white. There is the possibility of Landon being mixed race; however, the idea of Hardin's white father being attracted to a white woman is in no way unusual but disappointing. Why can't Hardin's father marry a black woman? There has been an issue with race equality in the media, this was a failed opportunity to integrate.

Hardin's father was originally based in London, England, and hasn't relocated to America for longer than 10 years. How does Hardin's father have an American accent?

The position Hardin was in appeared uncomfortable and impossible for a condom to be placed on properly with ease. Yet Hardin put the condom on quickly and easily.

When Tessa and Hardin broke up, it was raining. Tessa then went on a bus to travel back home. If she was soaking wet, wouldn't the money in her pocket be wet? The bus driver wouldn't have accepted the wet money, so Tessa couldn't have paid for the bus.

When Tessa went to meet Noah in order to apologize, she walked onto school property in the middle of Noah's P.E lesson. How was this permitted? Why and how was Noah allowed to leave his lesson to talk to Tessa?

Tessa's English Literature teacher gave Tessa Hardin's work. Why did she do this? Isn't she breaking the confidentiality of another student's work? This is college, not high school, teachers are not and should not be involved in student's lives. How did she even know to show Tessa Hardin's work?

Conclusion

If romance movies are of your personal preference then it can be deduced that After is a truly romantic movie. However, if you are looking for my personal truth; I think that After is a poorly constructed movie. The plot aims to scream romance but mainly screams tacky. The story doesn't allow the romance to flow and seems very rushed for a one hour and 45 minute film. Their love was more likely infatuation. There wasn't enough conflict or fighting to earn the strong love they appeared to have. The movie was below average, but creative in the sense that they produced a different journey for characters to find love and happiness.

Cast

  • Hero Fiennes-Tiffin—Hardin Scott
  • Josephine Langford—Tessa Young
  • Khadijha Red Thunder—Stephanie Jones
  • Shane Paul McGhie—Landon Gibson
  • Innana Sarkis—Molly Samuels

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About the Creator

Melissa Dell

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