ROME FILM FESTIVAL Competition / Spain
Three characters lost in the night in After
Seville-born director Alberto Rodríguez presented his eagerly awaited new work, After [+see also:
trailer
film profile], in Official Competition at the 4th Rome Film Festival. The film is a devastating and bittersweet journey to the depths of the night, a voyage which, echoing the cinema of John Cassavetes and the literature of Michel Houellebecq, takes the form of a labyrinth with no way out, where the characters inevitably return to their point of departure.
The film centres on three friends in their 30s, Julio (Guillermo Toledo), Manuel (Tristán Ulloa) and Ana (Blanca Romero), who are unable to come to terms with their own life expectations. They are caught up in a fierce individualism and eternal dissatisfaction, typical of the post-dictatorship generation of Rodríguez (whose previous work, 7 Virgins, was one of the biggest hits of 2005).
After revolves around a sleepless night. Having not seen each other for a long time, Julio, Manuel and Ana arrange to have dinner and go out, during a night in which they gorge on their desires, fears and insecurities.
The film is divided into three chapters, each focusing on one of the three protagonists, in which aspects of their everyday life are interspersed with moments from their night out. This complex circular structure returns to the same scenes over and over again, but avoids being repetitive thanks to the sudden beauty of the images, the wonderful chemistry between the three actors and the dreamlike soundtrack.
Tesela PC, who co-produced the film with La Zonfoña, returns to Italy, after presenting Gordos [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
Interview with Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo,…
film profile] at the Venice fest (in Venice Days) in September.
After will be released in Spain on October 23 by Alta Films. International sales are being handled by Imagina International Sales.
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