After We're Over

I had no idea what the movie was about going in. I hadn't seen a trailer. I hadn't read a review. I was going in blind, and I'm glad I did! It was a pleasant surprise. AFTER WE'RE OVER is a wonderful character study, focusing entirely on two people (Sazerac and Zelzah), ex-lovers who reunite after a year. The film is beautifully shot and well-acted. I especially enjoyed how the film seamlessly cut between past and present, between the "good times" of their relationship and the awkward/painful reunion. And the ending (NO SPOILERS) is poignant and profound. It truly captures the essence of modern-day love & breakups. Not to mention, it's also a love letter to St. Louis. Any St. Louisans out there should definitely check it out!

After We're Over is a fascinating movie about hope for a love gone south. The plot is believable. The characters are likable and relatable. These are people who care deeply about one another. Viewers cannot help but care about them too. Yet. Is this enough? Can these two former lovers reconnect? The story unfolds in seemingly slow motion. Set in the quiet dark of winter adds to the emotion. However, the film's end, whatever we viewers hope for, is inevitable.

This film's writing has a maturity that so many relationship movies don't achieve. No sugary lines. No cheap shots. The plot relies on sound dialog to capture viewers. It builds efficiently with grace and speed. It ends with awe for the makers of this film.

Incredibly boring film. Slow pacing, little character development, stock cliché lines. It's like if you overheard the most boring, uninteresting, middle-class couple in a restaurant and decided to follow them around for an hour and 20 minutes and listen in on their inane conversation and superficial problems. The writer tries too hard to make their dialogue seem "natural", but it just gives the whole thing this uncanny/cringey feeling of overacting and drama.

It turns out the 'writer'/'director' is from St. Louis, so a lot of the film comes of as a way for him to show off the city, like everything is a big cameo of well-known St Louis places and cultural references, at the expense of any actual plot or narrative devices. That pretty much solves the mystery of how this won the "audience choice award" there; name drop any city enough and the residents will eat it up.

This felt like the relationship version of Memento--it was an earnest and heartfelt look at the two distinct phases of a relationship--the beginning of the love, and the beginning of the moving on. Closure can take a lot of different forms, and the relationships in After We're Over are no different. The characters, what they're looking for, what they wind up finding--they're all very nuanced--in the writing and the performances. The structure felt really stream-of-consciousness, so if you're a stickler for the paint by numbers style storytelling, this isn't for you. But you should open your mind--you might find gems like this. Also, of particular note, the soundtrack was absolutely incredible.

This tightly focused study in a failed relationship needs no distractions to keep you interested. I don't remember any characters in this excellent film other than the former lovers. Their affection for each other is clear, but we're not sure whether there will be a reconnection until the very end (no spoilers). The dialogue is crucial in this sort of movie, and it's spot on. The direction, acting, and cinematography is so good that you don't notice it until after the film ends and you realize they nailed it without a false note. Watch this film so you can tell friends that you've been following the work of these creatives since before they got famous. I'll be very surprised if these actors and director don't have long, solid careers in film.