It's most impressive how much emotion this short film manages to pack in its brief 18-minute runtime. Misan Harriman's "The After" is a rather modest film, with a simple scenario, yet is communicated effectively so as to evoke a brooding sense of grief. Lead actor David Oyelowo delivers a compelling performance as a father processing the grief of losing his wife and daughter to an unexpected stabbing attack, with all the maturity and subtlety the subject matter demands, and it's mostly his performance that makes this film as effective as it is. While a summary of the plot might make it seem like something we've already seen before, it is the performances that make this short film stand out.
