Movie Review: The Aftermath

The Aftermath ** / *****

Directed by: James Kent.

Written by: Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse & Rhidian Brook based on the book by Brook.

Starring: Keira Knightley (Rachael Morgan), Alexander Skarsgård (Stephen Lubert), Jason Clarke (Lewis Morgan), Anna Katharina Schimrigk (Heike), Jack Laskey (Wilkins), Fionn O'Shea (Barker), Kate Phillips (Susan), Martin Compston (Burnham), Rosa Enskat (Greta), Frederick Preston (Michael Morgan), Flora Thiemann (Freda Lubert).

 

Pulling off a movie like The Aftermath is a tricky proposition – and one that the filmmakers here didn’t really pull off. It’s tricky because at the heart of the movie is an affair in the immediate aftermath of WWII – between a British officer’s wife and a German architect, whose home she and her husband have moved into. And yet, the affair isn’t really based on love or passion – but on grief. He lost his wife in the firebombing, she lost her child in the bombing of England – and has been alienated from her husband ever since, who came home briefly for the funeral, and then just left. They are both miserable and start the affair in part in an effort to feel something again, and in part to blow up their lives as they are currently constructed. This is the type of thing that can work well in a novel – and perhaps the novel the movie is based on is better – but can be tricky to pull off in a movie, because inevitably what happens in The Aftermath is we watch a trio of very good, very attractive actors sit around and look miserable for 100 minutes.

 

The movie is set just after the war has ended – Germany is still in shambles – they are literally still pulling bodies out from the rubble. Lewis Morgan (Jason Clarke) is one of the Officers in the British army who is put in charge of running the British section of Germany. His wife, Rachel (Keira Knightley) can now join her husband in Germany. They are moved into the house of Stephen Lubert (Alexander Skarsgard) – a German architect, who wasn’t an enthusiastic Nazi by any means. Stephen and his daughter Freda (Flora Thiemann) are still in the home as well – but will be moved to the camps shortly. That is, until Lewis suggests that they let the two of them stay on – the house is big, they can step upstairs, the Morgans downstairs – and they’ll barely have to interact. Rachel reluctantly agrees – but is clearly uncomfortable around both Luberts. At least at first.

 

There is a lot going on in The Aftermath – but most of it is under the surface. Lewis and Rachel’s marriage is clearly troubled – although it takes a while before we’re really sure as to why. Are they just alienated from each because he has spent so long at war, and they cannot find common ground? Is it being in Germany? Is it the Lubert’s – etc. Unfortunately, how a lot of this plays out is icy silences, and starring off into the distance, looking longingly at photographs, etc. Lubert has his own issues – his teenage daughter thinks he’s a coward, and may be falling in with the wrong crowd – you know, actual Nazis, who aren’t ready to give up the fight just yet. But again, he basically handles this by looking really sad most of the time.

 

The three actors at the center of The Aftermath are all good. I’m not sure why Jason Clarke keeps being cast as the guy whose wife cheats on or else doesn’t like anymore (see also Serenity and Mudbound) – but he is capable at being an internal actor, and that is what is asked of him here. Skarsgard I’m not as convinced has those notes to him – he’s better when he either goes bigger (like in The Hummingbird Project) or else uses his looks to mask an inner evil – like Big Little Lies. Here though, he just plays the whole roll as one long sad – he doesn’t raise his voice often, and most of the time is hanging his head. There doesn’t seem to be a lot going on. Knightley has the best role – and gives the best performance. But it’s an odd role – it requires her to be sad a lot of the time, and yet the costume designers clearly had a field day giving her amazing looking dresses. There is a disconnect here that never really resolves itself.

 

If you can pull off a movie like The Aftermath – you often have a great film. I love movies where everything is beneath the surface, and you have to sniff out the feelings, the relationships, etc. – all with the subtle camera movement and meaningful looks. When it works, you get a movie like Todd Haynes’ Carol. When it doesn’t work – it really doesn’t work though, and you get The Aftermath – which is basically a thudding bore. Nice costumes though.