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Vertical Entertainment proudly (maybe too proudly) presents Here After. Harry Greenberger serves as the writer and the director, with the film starring Andy Karl and Christina Ricci. Here, Greenberger shows there’s more to death than just peace; there’s also a little bit of thrills and —surprise, surprise— romance! Although he selects the perfect backdrop to serve as its setting; Here After falls short in many aspects, specifically in the unraveling of the story as well as poor character development.
The Overdone Story with a Twist
Here After‘s story comes off extremely trite since there have been countless afterlife movies revolving around love. Michael (Andy Karl), a cynical and disgruntled out of work actor, finds himself in an office with Scarlett (Christina Ricci). She essentially acts as a greeter/social worker to those who have recently died. As Scarlett assists Michael in coping with the fact that he is now deceased, she also explains that he is in her office because he never found his soulmate while he was alive. The only way to pass on is to locate him/her since souls can only pass on in pairs.
Upon hearing this, Michael roams through the streets of New York City making feeble attempts to connect with another soul. It isn’t until he walks through Times Square and he bumps into a woman who is alive. She goes by the name of Honey B (Nora Arnezeder), who possesses psychic-medium-esque abilities. After meeting again, Honey B reveals she has a stalker who is obsessed with her and ultimately leads to her demise.
Like most romantic movies, Here After is set in New York City, best known as the City that Never Sleeps and the City of Dead End Love Lives. New York City proves to be the perfect location for this film due to the notoriously difficult dating scene of the city. This also applies to those who are dead apparently. It’s fun and comforting to see that it’s not just the living that struggles in finding a mate in NYC.
Despite the perfect setting, the story itself feels as if it’s been done before in previous decades. Even with the plot point of the stalker killer, this twist doesn’t bring the component necessary to make Here After stand out among the other afterlife romance films.
The Characters Make the Film
The characters of this film lack dimension. A movie’s protagonist is meant to provoke some sort of empathic emotion in a viewer for his/hers situation. Karl’s portrayal of Michael does not promote a single ounce of empathy. From the start, he is portrayed as a misogynistic ass with little-to-no redeeming qualities which causes the viewer to not invest in his arc or even root for his success. The character also doesn’t seem to have fully transformed by the end of the film. Quite frankly, I was hoping that he would just disintegrate without finding his mate.
In contrast, Christina Ricci and Nora Arnezeder really drive the story forward and provide the most tolerable moments Here After. Ricci shows the true art of silent responses through her facial expressions. She also seems to enjoy playing this all-knowing character. Arnezeder’s delivery of her character is more balanced than Karl’s. She shows great skill in her comedic timing as Honey B introduces Michael, a dead spirit, to her best friend in a restaurant.
Additionally, Arnezeder realistically portrays Honey B’s stalker trauma with great sensitivity and poise. The only thing done poorly with these characters is underutilizing them. Ricci’s character appears in so few instances after the starting 10 minutes of the movie, while Arnezeder remains a permanent fixture midway through the film.
The Bottom Line
Here After’s story is not a truly original concept and possesses the main character that has a poor redemption arc. When the only redeeming aspects of the film are the setting and underused characters, it may be best to skip this film.
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