The Aftermath

R

Released Mar 15, 2019

1 hr. 49 min.

History

Drama

Romance

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List

27%

158 Reviews

Tomatometer

51%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1946 Rachael Morgan arrives in the ruins of Hamburg to be reunited with her husband, Lewis, who is a British colonel charged with rebuilding the shattered city. As they set off for their new home, Rachael is stunned to discover that Lewis has made an unexpected decision: They will be sharing the grand house with its previous owners, a German widower and his troubled daughter. In this charged atmosphere, enmity and grief give way to passion and betrayal.

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Critics Consensus

Tasteful to a fault, The Aftermath is worth seeking out only for the most passionate period drama enthusiasts.

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Greg W

Good solid movie! Enjoyed watching it and the characters evolve. American occupation of Germany after WWII was not easy for anyone. I am older and enjoyed the movie. Probably not good for younger audience!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/24

Full Review

An

Good movie with a great scenario and a lot of romance IMO, but I felt something it was missing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

No doubting that this is a beautiful period drama, with stunning visuals and a great cast. The story is ambling and I guess slightly poetic, but it doesn't really grab you

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

Formulaic and melodramatic war-torn storytelling.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/28/23

Full Review

dan g

Anybody who didn't like this film has no heart and no sense of drama that comes from crisis and great pain. I loved this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Aftermath (2019) is a beautiful, poignant period film set in the aftermath of the Second World War in war ravaged Hamburg, Germany circa 1945 following the defeat and collapse of Nazi Germany. The film is directed by James Kent and the screenplay is based on the book of the same name by novelist Rhidian Brook. It features a stellar cast including Alexander Skarsgard, one of Hollywood's most sexiest and handsome leading men playing Stefan Lubert, a German architect and widower, and Kiera Knightley, one of the world's most beautiful women playing Rachael Morgan, Captain Lewis Morgan's neglected wife and a bereaved mother. The talented and multi-faceted actor Jason Clarke plays Captain Lewis Morgan, and Flora Thiemann stars as Stefan's troubled daughter Freda. Captain Lewis Morgan and his wife Rachael are re-united in Hamburg, Germany, following the war, and rather live on their own, share their new domicile with its previous occupants, Stefan Lubert and his teenage daughter Freda, which shines a light on the complex relationship and socio-political dynamics between victor and vanquished. The perspective of victor and vanquished are encapsulated in the roles of Stefan Lubert, Freda Lubert, Rachael Morgan, and Captain Lewis Morgan. I am immensely fond of melodramas and the narrative of the film delivers in droves. The motif of grief and nostalgia weaves itself through the film giving it depth and structure as does situating marital infidelity in a war ravaged setting. It was mesmerizing to watch the social awkwardness and distaste between Rachael and Stefan give way to a passionate love in the aftermath of war set in the requisitioned beautiful mansion in its idyllic setting and landscaped grounds haunted by the past and the spirit of Claudia Lubert. Of course, the storyline is helped immensely by having two remarkable actors with stunning good looks who play the lead roles. Knightley is mesmerizing to watch. As Rachael, she is more than the grieving mother and her stunning good looks, charm and demure sexuality give her character the classic characteristics of a femme fatale. Skarsgard's charm, sensitivity and masculinity luminate his role and heightens his vulnerability as the grieving widower, dispossessed man of stature, and father of a disturbed teenager. Why wouldn't Rachael and Stefan be drawn to each other living in close quarters in spite of their enmity? Despite everything, it's a story of two people starved for and in need of a little tenderness and love, and the film delivers it in spades. The film, I found, engages one's emotions on many levels in particular, emotionally and intellectually. Rachael's flashbacks are beautifully crafted evoking the anguish and despair of a grieving mother. The egregious, insulting and demeaning bias of the British towards the Germans weaves itself through the film casting aspersions on their moral authority. Are all Germans to blame for the atrocities committed by the Nazi state? Kudos to the director for bringing to cinematic light a film that captures a complex reality and relationship between victor and vanquished and its aftermath. The director has woven together many visual elements to create a fascinating and intriguing film set against the devastation of the Second World War where grief and enmity meets passion and betrayal in a charged atmosphere of 'death and destruction', and 'revenge and redemption'. Knightley gives a compelling and powerful performance as the neglected wife, playing second fiddle to the war, and the grief-stricken mother. She is beautifully directed and shot, and brings a gravitas and vulnerability to her role that is bitter-sweet and heartbreaking. Her performance is nuanced, complex and multi-faceted rendering a sympathetic and relatable character. The scene she shares with Freda and Stefan at the piano will have you reach for kleenex and perhaps, you might shed a tear or two for their desperation. If you enjoy melodramas or love period pieces, or a fan of Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgard, do see the film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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James Kent

Director

Keira Knightley

Rachael Morgan

Alexander Skarsgård

Stephen Lubert

Jason Clarke

Lewis Morgan

Martin Compston

Burnham

Flora Li Thiemann

Freda Lubert

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The Aftermath: Trailer 1

2:24

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

Knightley's character is - hello! - more sympathetic and sensual than in the novel, while Clarke's is more one-dimensional, to the point of caricature.

Feb 21, 2020

Full Review

Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

It does not achieve the emotional resonance that it's looking for, but Keira Knightly does wear some great dresses.

Sep 23, 2019

Full Review

Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

A shallow excuse for attractive actors to get their kit off.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 21, 2019

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

If you take away The Aftermath’s post-war Reconstruction of Germany’s setting, what you have is a lonely housewife having an affair with a pool boy, and a lonely couple in desperate need of a premium cable subscription.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Milana Vujkov

Lola On Film

It does not bode well for a story of a tumultuous affair if the only performance with conviction, in a love triangle, is given by the betrayed husband.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 30, 2021

Full Review

Cassidy Olsen

The Improper Bostonian

The Aftermath is far from a great film, so deeply mired in genre conventions that playing a period piece drinking game while watching would have you in an ambulance within the first half-hour. But it's much too fun to get angry about.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 8, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1946 Rachael Morgan arrives in the ruins of Hamburg to be reunited with her husband, Lewis, who is a British colonel charged with rebuilding the shattered city. As they set off for their new home, Rachael is stunned to discover that Lewis has made an unexpected decision: They will be sharing the grand house with its previous owners, a German widower and his troubled daughter. In this charged atmosphere, enmity and grief give way to passion and betrayal.

Director: James Kent
Executive Producer: Ridley Scott, Carlo Dusi, Beth Pattinson, Joe Oppenheimer
Screenwriter: Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse, Rhidian Brook
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Scott Free Productions, Amusement Park Films
Rating: R (Some Disturbing Images|Sexual Content/Nudity|Violence)
Genre: History, Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 11, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6M
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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