Directed by Thomas Angeletti and written by leading actor Timothy J. Cox. After the murder of his police officer son in the line of duty, a father, himself a veteran detective, must choose between following the law and seeking vengeance. Also starring, Beth Metcalf.

You’re quickly hit with a heavily morose atmosphere when entering After, it’s sombre and surrounded by the grief at the heart of this story. The visual style is rigidly every day, it’s committed to not glamourising anything which has its advantages and disadvantages. It works to keep the film grounded but at the same time without a bigger variety to the angles and framing or a sharper edge to the editing, it ends up holding it back.

The second aspect which serves as an obstacle for After is having its plot revolve around a vengeful detective following a loss, it doesn’t provide a lot of space for originality. It’s a theme that we’ve seen many times over the years, in many different forms so making it your own is a supremely tough challenge and one that this film sadly wasn’t up to. The progression and dialogue are simply too familiar, so even though it is a story rife with conflict and turmoil, it’s easy to know how it’s going to play out.

However, the performances do make the most of that emotional potential, though there is a slight weakness for melodrama at times. Beth Metcalf brings a lot of vulnerability to the table, wearing Annie’s heart on her sleeve. She easily communicates all the fear, worry and anxiety her character is going through and as time goes on, she also ups the intensity nicely. Timothy J. Cox gives us the classic detective, overly committed to the job and quick to the bottle. It’s a mix of anger, desperation, wrath and drunkenness.

After is filled with conflict and emotion but struggles to set its story apart from those we’ve already seen. It set itself a difficult challenge and wasn’t quite able to push outside of the box to create something more original. The style is extremely grounded and works but to a point, lacking a punch to its editing or a sharpness to its cinematography to balance that out. The performances are the strongest element that the film has to offer, striving to fill out the intensity and raw emotion that the story calls for.

Verdict: ✯✯✯ | 6/10