After Life is directed by Japanese director, Hirozaku Kore-eda, and tells the story about a waystation that exists between life and death where a film crew films one memory that you would like to keep for eternity. The film crew interviews you in order to select a memory, and then recreates that memory for you to keep for eternity. I found the film very enjoyable as it does tap into very existential themes. The film questions how long ago you are able to remember things into infancy and whether those moments are what you would like to remember. It also taps into the what it means to be in love and the film crew examines their lives according to how others have lived theirs.
After Life is perfectly fine for any classroom from a maturity standpoint. There aren’t scenes of violence or sex. There isn’t gore or blood. But, I’m certainly left with the question of how this would fit in a classroom context. It does have some place in an instructional segment on philosophy and what it means to be alive. And it might have some place in getting students to reflect on their lives and what they would like to leave behind, but it doesn’t seem to have a place in any content area. That being said, I have never seen a film quite like After Life. There are films that use its shooting style (its interview lay out and its absurd nature), but it is a very unique film that i would certainly recommend to any audience.
I give After Life, an 8/10
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