After Work

I´m a great admirer of Erik Gandini´s style. It is always as much poetry as it is documentary, and the way I see it, this "double language" is able to bring so much more to the attention -and wonder!- of the viewer.

This documentary is without any narration or hardly any other kind of explanations. The filmmaker makes himself almost invisible and the only lines of reasoning ever heard are from the interviewees. It is done in a sort of mosaic style, and I can understand that some people -expecting something more explanatory and easy to take in- will find it a jumbled mess.

He raises more questions than he provides you with answers. Many more...and those questions are of the kind that can not be answered FOR you, only (possibly) BY you. And everyone else. He has this quirky skill of making his chosen subject matters practically shine with urgency and existential, philosophical depth. It is quite seductive...and I get sucked in, in awe at the expressive diversity of the world, that he gives a shape, without trying for a fixed form.

I recently saw the film "After Work," and I was very impressed by how thought-provoking it was. The documentary raises some crucial questions about how we spend our time, particularly as more and more jobs are being taken over by AI. I really appreciated how the film highlighted different cultures and their perspectives on balancing work and personal life.

What I found most compelling were the themes and messages of the documentary, which really made me think about the meaning and purpose of my own life. In fact, I ended up having several lively discussions with my friends and family about the ideas presented in the film.

Calling this docu slow would be an insult to snails everywhere. It's like the director set out to make a film with no storyline or concept, and boy, did they succeed. You're better off staring at a blank wall for 81 mins - at least you won't be subjected to pointless scenes of aimless cars driving around like they're lost in a parking lot or boring interviews with people who seem like they'd rather be anywhere else. It's like the filmmakers were trying to put a spin on the classic phrase 'life is a journey, not a destination,' but ended up with something more like 'this docu is a waste of time, not entertainment.' Save yourself the trouble and steer clear.