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After The Apocalypse (2004)

After The
Apocalypse

After the Apocalypse is not typical of the movies reviewed at Film Apocalypse. Most of the films reviewed here have blood, boobs and explosions (and if they don’t, they would usually be better if they did). However, this film is not a horror film or an action film and I don’t think I could even say it was a B-Movie. It’s really much more of an art film and yes; it is shot in black and white. I realize that these two facts may turn off many of the readers here, but After the Apocalypse is an absolutely amazing film!

The basic story is this: there has been a third World War that pretty much wiped out everything. There are a handful of survivors struggling to live. Now, I realize that most of you guys have visions of Mel Gibson as Mad Max driving around in beat up muscle cars and blowing stuff up, but this isn’t that kind of movie. There are no guns or cars, no gasoline or hacksaws. No one is forced to cut off his own arm. Some of you may have visions of an early 1980s Motley Crue video. Well, there is no hairspray or mascara in this film. There are no oil drums on fire with guys in tattered clothes and fingerless gloves standing around while chicks in torn fishnet stockings creep in and out of alleyways. I mention all of this because in the back of my head, that’s kind of what I was expecting.

What this film does have is a well thought out story and very original presentation style. The characters in this film are living at a basic level without the trappings of modern society. They have lost their ability to talk and must learn to communicate through the use of gestures and facial expressions. The filming and editing were beautiful. The acting was sincere and emotional. Even without any dialog, the story had grace and flow. It is easy to see why so many festivals have accepted After the Apocalypse.

To writer/director Yasuaki Nakajima: Congratulations on an incredible film!

Gore-o-meter rating: 0.5 out of 5 (a guy hits a couple of people with a stick)

Skin-o-meter: 0 out of 5