movie review aftermath

Film Review: ‘Aftermath’

Arnold Schwarzenegger wrestles to find the right emotions as a man pulverized by grief after his family perishes in a mid-air collision.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

• How ‘Star Wars’ and ‘The Lion King’ Made James Earl Jones the Voice of Generations 3 days ago
• ‘The Wild Robot’ Review: It’s No ‘Iron Giant,’ Though DreamWorks’ Tale of a Wayward Droid Is a Keeper 5 days ago
• ‘Nightbitch’ Review: Amy Adams Ferociously Resists the Changes That Parenthood Imposes in Didactic but Welcome Ode to Moms 6 days ago

“Aftermath” is a plane crash movie without a plane crash. Instead, the closest we get is a scene set in the control tower, where a computer screen shows two triangles headed straight toward one another until both glow red and then disappear from the monitor altogether. There’s no boom, no screaming passengers, no great big whoosh as cocktails and carry-on bags get sucked out a gaping hole in the cabin — just the aftermath, which in this case, entails a bedraggled-looking Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to make sense of his loss.

In theory, this should be enough. Certainly, screenwriter Javier Gullón did more with less in “Enemy,” a psychologically rich character study in which Jake Gyllenhaal dealt with a man who might have been his doppelganger. But “Aftermath” is one of those mopey coping-with-grief movies in which the characters grapple with intense emotions, while audiences feel nothing. It’s like the downer version of “Sully” — call it “Sullen” — where we never meet the passengers (who don’t survive anyway), and the screenwriter instead decides to dwell on two men who never left the ground: air traffic controller Jake ( Scoot McNairy ) and grieving parent Roman (Schwarzenegger), who lost his wife and pregnant daughter in the off-camera crash.

Related Stories

Venu Legal Fight Is About More Than FuboTV: What’s at Stake for the Entire Industry

'Scare Tactics' Reboot From Jordan Peele Sets October Premiere Date

Perhaps it’s macabre of audiences to want to see carnage. Air travel offers a nearly universal anxiety, and movies about worst-case travel scenarios can both feed and alleviate our own personal fear of flying, as movies such as “Flight,” “Final Destination,” and “Alive” have done. The most vicariously beneficial: “Fearless,” in which we can vicariously identify with doomed passengers coming to peace with a disaster beyond their control. What were Roman’s wife and daughter thinking in their final moments? Did they suffer?

Popular on Variety

Doesn’t matter. What matters to Gullón and director Elliott Lester is the suffering of the survivors — and not just Roman, but also the man “responsible” for their deaths and those of everyone on board both planes. “Aftermath” was inspired by the real-life Überlingen mid-air collision, a 2002 incident in which the blame was placed on the tower crew, inspiring a Russian man whose family perished in the accident to murder an air traffic controller in front of his wife and kids.

You’ll have to watch “Aftermath” to discover whether Roman takes the same route, but suffice it to say, the confrontation between the two men allows for the only remotely Schwarzeneggerian moment in the whole movie, which is otherwise a drab, desaturated affair. Everything else suggests an unnatural attempt to reposition the one-time action star as a serious thespian, providing further opportunity for Arnold to try some of that capital-A Acting that proved the best surprise of his post-gubernatorial zombie movie “Maggie.”

But Roman is a very specific kind of role, one that calls for a performer with an ability to convey inner torment, and that’s ultimately beyond Schwarzenegger’s rather limited range. As movie stars go, he’s a charisma-driven supernova, almost Incredible Hulk-like in his emotional simplicity: Make Hulk angry, and Hulk smash! But “Aftermath” demands one of those brooding, black-hole actors who sucks up all the energy in the room, going somewhere so dark, you can’t help but share their pain. By contrast, watching Schwarzenegger attempt to emote amounts to exactly that: watching someone attempt to emote. A certain kind of man makes every effort to hold in his frustration and rage in circumstances like this, so it feels all wrong to be confronted with the exact opposite as a constipated-looking Schwarzenegger grits his teeth and tries to force it out.

Consider the scene where Roman learns of the accident, coming right after several Hallmark Channel-esque vignettes in which he’s established as a hard worker and an honorable father — not to mention an expecting grandfather (he caresses his daughter’s sonogram before heading to the airport to pick her up). Arriving at the ticket desk with a bouquet of flowers in hand, he is led, dazed, to an impersonal counseling room at the airport, where an employee breaks the news of what has happened.

What’s meant to be Arnold’s Oscar moment is instead just plain awkward, and the actor’s expression of stunned grief never really matures from there, as he lumbers through the motions that follow — the most cinematic of which finds him volunteering at the crash site, where he finds a pair of seats with his daughter still in it suspended from a tree. Though the “real Roman” blamed the air traffic controller following the Überlingen incident, the movie imagines that the guilt-stricken airport employee felt plenty tortured on his own, finding parallels in the two men’s suffering.

Feeling far from absolved by internal airline safety hearings, Jake suffers a nervous breakdown and nearly loses his family (including wife Maggie Grace), only to arrive at a tentative reunion just before Roman shows up at his door. The relentlessly downbeat movie might have ended with that scene, but instead leaps forward several more years to find Roman still paying visits to his family’s graves — only this time, even the reckoning has a reckoning, as the fallout from the accident continues to infect future generations. For a tragedy in search of catharsis, the ending falls short, but at least it ensures there will never be an “Aftermath II: The After-Aftermath.”

Reviewed online, April 4, 2017. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 93 MIN.

• Production: A Lionsgate Premiere release, presented with Grindstone Entertainment, Emmett Furla Oasis Films, of an Emmett Furla Oasis Films, Protozoa Pictures, Oka Prods., Hat and Coat Prods. Ltd. production, in association with the Fyzz Facility. Producers: Scott Franklin, Rnadall Emmett, Eric Watson, George Furla, Peter Dealbert, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Darren Aronofsky. Co-producers: Tim Sullivan, Anthony Callie. Executive producers: Martin Richard Blencowe, Mark Stewart, Javier Gullón, Wayne Marc Godfrey, Robet Jones, Barry Brooker, Stan Wertlieb, Ted Fox, Steven Saxton, Vance Owen, Anthony Jabre. Co-executive producer: Ryan Black.
• Crew: Director: Elliott Lester. Screenplay: Javier Gullón. Camera (color, widescreen): Peter Vermeer. Editor: Nicholas Wayman-Harris. Music: Mark Todd.
• With: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Scoot McNairy, Maggie Grace, Martin Donovan.

More from Variety

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Breakout Arthur Conti on Starring Alongside Jenna Ortega in His First Film Role: ‘It’s Hard to Believe’

Annapurna-Remedy Deal Is Smart Solution to Gaming’s Funding Woes

UCP Acquires Rights to Katie Cotugno Novel ‘Heavy Hitter’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Korean Spy Thriller ‘Harbin’ Picked Up for North American Release, Following Toronto Gala Debut (EXCLUSIVE)

Why Studios Still Haven’t Licensed Movies and TV Shows to Train AI

Steve-O Canceled Plan to Get Breast Implants for a Comedy Prank After Talking to a Transgender Person He Met on Surgery Day: ‘It’s Not All Fun and Games’

More from our brands, ayana e. johnson, jason sudeikis, roy wood jr. are throwing a climate party.

Art Basel Miami Beach Opens with a Bang

Tagovailoa’s Concussion History Clouds Contract Guarantees

The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists

Law & Order: OC Adds Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio to Season 5 Cast — What’s Her Connection to Stabler?

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Help Kids Build Character Strengths with Quality Media

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 6 Reviews
• Kids Say 2 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Powerful performances can't save tragic, mature drama.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Aftermath is a drama based on a true story about a horrible plane crash. It explores the effects the crash has on both a man who loses his family and on the air traffic controller who may have been responsible. Violence isn't constant but is brutal/intense; there's a stabbing,…

Why Age 16+?

A gruesome stabbing, with gushing blood and a pool of blood on the floor. Dead b

A couple has sex in bed; no graphic nudity. Naked male bottom seen in the shower

A use of "f--king." Also "goddamn" and "shut up."

Character takes prescription pills to help deal with his misery. He only goes to

Any Positive Content?

Deals with intense feelings of grief and guilt and talks briefly about ways to d

No strong/clear positive role models here. There are only victims, trying -- or

Violence & Scariness

A gruesome stabbing, with gushing blood and a pool of blood on the floor. Dead bodies. Airplane crash site; actual crash isn't shown, but much discussion. A character buys a gun from a gun shop. A teenage boy brandishes a gun. Knives are shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A couple has sex in bed; no graphic nudity. Naked male bottom seen in the shower. Brief innuendo. A married couple cuddles and kisses.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Character takes prescription pills to help deal with his misery. He only goes to therapy to get more pills. He tries overdosing on them but vomits. Two men drink beer. A man walks out of a liquor store with a paper bag (nothing else shown).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Deals with intense feelings of grief and guilt and talks briefly about ways to deal with them (both positive and not so positive). But it doesn't dig very deeply or get to any kind of profound level. Viewers may have to pick up the slack with their own discussions.

Positive Role Models

No strong/clear positive role models here. There are only victims, trying -- or not trying -- to deal with their feelings, and both choose unhealthy methods of doing so.

Parents need to know that Aftermath is a drama based on a true story about a horrible plane crash. It explores the effects the crash has on both a man who loses his family and on the air traffic controller who may have been responsible. Violence isn't constant but is brutal/intense; there's a stabbing, spurting blood, and a pool of blood, as well as images of the plane crash site and dead bodies. Guns and knives are also shown. Language includes a single use of "f--king," plus "goddamn." A married couple has sex, kisses, and cuddles, but there's no graphic nudity; star Arnold Schwarzenegger 's naked bottom is shown in the shower. A character takes prescription pills to deal with depression and appears to be dependent on them; he attempts an overdose but throws up. There's also some drinking. While the acting is strong, overall the film feels more manipulative than sympathetic. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (6)
• Kids say (2)

Based on 6 parent reviews

Better than most think

What's the story.

In AFTERMATH, construction manager Roman ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) eagerly prepares to pick up his wife and pregnant daughter from the airport. But he arrives to find, to his absolute horror, that they've died in a plane crash. Meanwhile, air traffic controller Jake ( Scoot McNairy ) was on the job, dealing with downed phone lines and missing the opportunity to save not one but two flights. In the days following, Roman mourns his family, and Jake experiences intense guilt and pain over the accident. A year later, Roman attends a memorial for the crash victims, and Jake has moved to another state and taken a new identity. With help from a reporter, Roman finds Jake's address and decides to see him. All he wants is an apology, but with pain this deep, anything can happen.

Is It Any Good?

Schwarzenegger and McNairy give powerful performances in this dire, downbeat drama, but the filmmaking frequently undermines them, choosing shortcuts over deeper, more soulful exploration. Inspired by a true story, Aftermath starts awkwardly with an upbeat beginning that basically guarantees -- and cheapens -- the tragedy to come. The subsequent setup for Jake is equally awkward; the first 20 minutes, taken together, show that director Elliott Lester has little feel for human behavior.

The movie feels more manipulative than it does sympathetic, topped off with an almost constant droning, moaning music score and very strange touches like a bizarre, busy wardrobe for Schwarzenegger. (In his grief, he wears a tacky sweater with what looks like geese on it.) Scene after scene consists of the actors trying to convey their inner anguish, with the director unable to do anything but remain on the surface. Admittedly, it's difficult for most of us to comprehend a tragedy this huge, but Aftermath doesn't seem to be able to manage it, either, so what's it's point?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Aftermath 's violence . What's shown and not shown? Do you consider any of it gratuitous? What's the impact of violent media on kids?

Are there "right" and "wrong" ways that the characters experience grief, sorrow, and guilt? If so, what puts them in those categories?

What's Jake's relationship with his prescription drugs ? Are there consequences to his actions? Why is that important?

When Roman tells the other man that he'll eventually find a reason to get out of bed, what does he mean?

Movie Details

• In theaters : April 7, 2017
• On DVD or streaming : June 6, 2017
• Cast : Arnold Schwarzenegger , Maggie Grace , Scoot McNairy
• Director : Elliott Lester
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Lionsgate Premiere
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 94 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : a scene of violence
• Last updated : October 1, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Rabbit Hole

In the Bedroom

Reign Over Me

Drama Movies That Tug at the Heartstrings

Biopic movies.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A young couple struggling to stay together, when they are offered an amazing deal on a home with a questionable past that would normally be beyond their means. In a final attempt to start fr... Read all A young couple struggling to stay together, when they are offered an amazing deal on a home with a questionable past that would normally be beyond their means. In a final attempt to start fresh as a couple they take the deal. A young couple struggling to stay together, when they are offered an amazing deal on a home with a questionable past that would normally be beyond their means. In a final attempt to start fresh as a couple they take the deal.

• Peter Winther
• Dakota Gorman
• Ashley Greene
• Shawn Ashmore
• Jason Liles
• 414 User reviews
• 30 Critic reviews

Top cast 23

• Natalie Dadich

• Kevin Dadich

• Officer Richardson

• Officer Hess

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The film they watch on TV before the first scene where it's understood they have a sexual problem is Alfred Hitchcock 's Rear Window (1954) .
• Goofs Natalie ( Ashley Greene ) and Kevin ( Shawn Ashmore ) are shown sleeping when she looks at the photos on her phone. Later, Kevin mentions she told him the time stamp from the images was taken when she was alone.

User reviews 414

• noyaufoulem
• Aug 4, 2021
• How long is Aftermath? Powered by Alexa
• August 4, 2021 (United States)
• United States
• 5266 Vanalden Ave., Tarzana, California, USA (Kevin and Natalie's new house where are all the strange events occur)
• Productivity Media
• RiverRun Entertainment
• Winther Brothers Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 54 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

Aftermath Review

07 Apr 2017

The relaunch of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting career has, it has to be said, thus far felt a long way off auspicious. 2013’s The Last Stand was a passable bit of action fun, but from there on in he has largely limited himself to a succession of appearances in films – typified by Escape Plan with Sylvester Stallone, also from 2013 – whose primary purpose was to knowingly send up his ’80s years. Of course he was effective in these, but it was only in the cruelly overlooked Maggie from 2015 that, rather than just Arnie , we got a glimpse of Arnold Schwarzenegger: an actor capable of nuance and subtlety.

One of Schwarzenegger’s most layered performances ever.

The good news is that Aftermath continues down this path, dials up the intensity ever further, and exhibits what is unquestionably one of Schwarzenegger’s most layered performances ever – and certainly his most vulnerable. The story is based on the true life story of Russian architect Vitaly Kaloyev, who in 2004 murdered the air traffic controller that he (wrongly) held responsible for the death of his family in a plane crash. Here he is renamed Roman, and is now a construction foreman, but is beset by the same tragedy. He must learn of the death of his wife and daughter from a stranger. He will be appalled by the offer of a financial settlement. And he will have to look the man who he has elected to blame for what happened – played here by Scott McNairy – and his wife (Maggie Grace), before doing what he feels he needs to do.

In other words, this is a film full of scenes that would be easy to overplay, but which Schwarzenegger tackles with understated perfection. Truly, this is quite unlike anything else he’s ever done, and brilliantly so. Really, if Liam Neeson can pull off a late-career renaissance as an action man, can Arnie not do the same as a character actor?

Related Articles

Movies | 03 03 2017

Movies | 10 02 2017

• ₹ 10 Lakh,1" data-value="Loan ₹ 10 Lakh">Loan ₹ 10 Lakh
• Games & Puzzles

• Entertainment
• Latest News
• Arvind Kejriwal bail hearing live
• Kolkata rape case live updates
• Web Stories
• Mumbai News
• Bengaluru News
• Daily Digest

Aftermath movie review: You’ve never seen Arnold Schwarzenegger like this before

Aftermath movie review: arnold schwarzenegger enters a new phase in his career in this dramatic tale inspired by a real-life tragedy..

Aftermath Director - Elliot Lester Cast - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Scoot McNairy, Maggie Grace Rating - 3/5

For a film in which Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character loses his entire family in a tragic plane crash, it chooses to open with a dig at Donald Trump.

It’s the only moment of levity in a surprisingly and relentlessly sombre film about grief and the cyclical nature of revenge.

Aftermath, another film in this new, more dramatic phase of Arnold’s career, is based on the infamous Überlingen mid-air collision of 2002, and the wake of destruction it left behind. This tragedy, and the terrible chain of events it set into motion in its aftermath, is perhaps the only one that I remember from that Discovery Channel series Air Crash Investigation. But in many ways – most of all its devastating resolution – the best way to approach it would be to watch it without any knowledge of the real life events.

Not that it ruins the experience – the story is powerful enough to work on its own – but it would, I assume, rob the film of some of well-earned drama.

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Roman, an immigrant who works a regular blue-collar job, loves his wife, and is excited about becoming a grandfather for the first time. When the film opens, he is on his way to receiving them at the airport. They would never arrive. Roman is taken to an antiseptic-looking room, and told that their plane was involved in a mid-air collision, and that it is rare, in such accidents, for there to be any survivors. It is the first of many moments in which Arnold displays considerable restraint in his performance, probably surprising himself more than anyone else.

But then – and this is the best decision the filmmakers could’ve made – it shifts focus to the man who, for all intents and purposes, could be held responsible for the accident. His name is Jacob. He was the air traffic controller present at the time of the crash and he is played, brilliantly, by the underrated Scoot McNairy (Argo, Batman v Superman, Halt and Catch Fire).

For the rest of its short run time, the film switches between Roman and Jacob, and explores, to inconsistent success, how the tragedy has affected their lives.

They’re sad, of course. And they’re sad in different ways. Roman’s grief is of a more primal nature. And soon, it is overpowered, temporarily, by revenge. Jacob, however, finds himself at the centre of a highly concentrated storm. His life, like Roman’s, is snatched away from him. He is forced to relocate, assume another identity, all the while battling his inner demons, the voices in his head that blame him, like the rest of the world, for everything that happened.

And when their plots collide – like the planes – it is equally devastating.

What is most surprising about Aftermath isn’t that it features a rare dramatic role for one of the biggest action stars in the history of movies – he’s been doing these more often in his post-Governor phase. Films like Maggie, and to a lesser extent, The Last Stand (which is a fantastic film that everyone should watch). But it somehow manages to work around his larger-than-life persona. Arnold is at his best here when he doesn’t speak – which sounds like a criticism, but isn’t.

Director Elliott Lester shoots a lot of this film in tight close-ups, which often threatens to expose the cracks in Arnold’s acting, in addition to the ones on his now-grizzled face. But it is in these exact shots that Scoot McNairy shows just how talented a performer he is. Often, he undercuts the largely melodramatic nature of the script with a subtle character choice, a quiver in his voice, or perhaps a twitch in his eyelid.

Aftermath is a solid, but dark postscript to Arnold’s career. He will keep doing the action roles, make no mistake. And those are the parts he will be remembered for. He had no reason to do this. But imagine someone, maybe a Schwarzenegger fan, coming across this film in 20 years.

Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar

• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Weather Today
• HT Newsletters
• Subscription
• Print Ad Rates
• Code of Ethics

• India vs Sri Lanka
• Live Cricket Score
• Cricket Teams
• Cricket Players
• ICC Rankings
• Cricket Schedule
• Shreyas Iyer
• Harshit Rana
• Kusal Mendis
• Ravi Bishnoi
• Rinku Singh
• Riyan Parag
• Washington Sundar
• Avishka Fernando
• Charith Asalanka
• Dasun Shanaka
• Khaleel Ahmed
• Pathum Nissanka
• Other Cities
• Income Tax Calculator
• Petrol Prices
• UGC NET Answer Key 2024 Live
• Diesel Prices
• Silver Rate
• Relationships
• Art and Culture
• Taylor Swift: A Primer
• Telugu Cinema
• Tamil Cinema
• Board Exams
• Exam Results
• Admission News
• Employment News
• Competitive Exams
• BBA Colleges
• Engineering Colleges
• Medical Colleges
• BCA Colleges
• Medical Exams
• Engineering Exams
• Love Horoscope
• Annual Horoscope
• Festival Calendar
• Compatibility Calculator
• Career Horoscope
• Manifestation
• The Economist Articles
• Lok Sabha States
• Lok Sabha Parties
• Lok Sabha Candidates
• Explainer Video
• On The Record
• Vikram Chandra Daily Wrap
• Entertainment Photos
• Lifestyle Photos
• News Photos
• Olympics 2024
• Olympics Medal Tally
• Other Sports
• EPL 2023-24
• ISL 2023-24
• Asian Games 2023
• Public Health
• Economic Policy
• International Affairs
• Climate Change
• Gender Equality
• future tech
• HT Friday Finance
• Explore Hindustan Times
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Subscription - Terms of Use

The Ending Of Aftermath Explained

The brutal horror movie "Aftermath" is taking over Netflix and currently sits on the streaming platform's trending list. The creepy horror film is purportedly based on a true story  and follows a young married couple named Natalie (Ashley Greene) and Kevin Dadich (Shawn Ashmore) who are facing marital issues after the former's affair. Things start to look up for the couple when they move into a beautiful house, though it does come with a caveat: the previous owners died in the home in a gruesome murder-suicide.

Almost immediately after moving in, strange occurrences start taking place in the Dadich family's new home, including odd noises and doors opening by themselves. The weird events get more sinister until they finally culminate in a huge reveal at the end of the film, giving us an answer as to who — or what — is behind all of the mysterious goings-on.

Here's the ending of "Aftermath" explained.

The answer was within the house all along

Throughout "Aftermath," Natalie and Kevin are tormented in a variety of ways. Though they start out mildly, the events quickly get more and more horrific: their dog Odi is poisoned and has to be put down, illicit magazines are sent to their home in Kevin's name, and Natalie is even attacked at home when Kevin is away one night. Though we learn that some of the unsettling stunts were committed by a disgruntled family member of the deceased original inhabitants of the home, a twist in the story reveals the true culprit is even more creepy.

As it turns out, the original couple who lived in the home — Erin and Jay — were not killed in a murder-suicide. They were, in fact, killed by Erin's secret lover named Otto (Jason Liles), who'd been living within the home the whole time. Since Erin designed the home herself, she included a secret space that allowed her to sneak Otto in and out.

Unfortunately for Erin, when she ultimately chose her husband Jay over her lover, Otto lost control and killed the couple, then continued to live in his secret hideaway and enact his revenge on the new inhabitants of the house.

Is the nightmare truly over?

In the last moments of the film, Otto has Natalie chained up in his hidden room and she learns the truth about his existence as well as the murders. Suddenly, Kevin returns home, and Otto attacks him as well — though Natalie is able to break free, and together, she and Kevin kill Otto. Or do they?

The final scene shows Natalie and Kevin one month later as they finish moving the final things out of their home with the help of their friends. They say their sassy goodbyes to the house and head out the door jovially; this suggests that the movie will end on a happy note. However, the camera keeps panning over to the closet door that they'd left open — only it starts to close on its own, signifying perhaps the terrifying events aren't quite over after all.

Whether Otto ended up surviving or some other horrifying person moved into the vacant house, the ending of "Aftermath" is sure to send shivers down your spine.

Screen Rant

Aftermath ending explained: who was the man in the house.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

25 Worst Netflix Original Horror Movies

7 best international horror shows on netflix, 7 most creative horror movies that defied all the tropes.

• The Aftermath movie ending only loosely explained that Robert, the husband of the woman who sold the house, is responsible for tormenting Kevin and Natalie, but Otto is the real threat.
• The weakest point in the ending is Otto's presence in the house and his deteriorating mental state, which is not fully explained.
• Natalie and Kevin appear to have mended their relationship, but the audience is left to imagine what happens to them after the events of the Aftermath movie.

The Netflix horror thriller Aftermath's movie ending is more than a little confusing — but once explained, the truth behind Otto and how he lived so long in Kevin and Natalie's house becomes clearer. Directed by Peter Winther, Aftermath stars Ashley Greene , Shawn Ashmore , Britt Baron, Diana Hopper, Ross McCall, and Sharif Adkins. Released on Netflix in 2021 , Aftermath is about Natalie Dadich (Greene) and her husband, Kevin (Ashmore), who fall victim to disturbing events after moving into a new house. Kevin becomes aware of the property while cleaning a murder-suicide that took place there.

Kevin and Natalie have been having problems following her infidelity, so the couple moves into the house to get a fresh start. Soon, their dog and Kevin are both poisoned, mysterious messages keep showing up, and Natalie starts seeing shadows of a frightening man . It all builds toward the chilling revelation in the Aftermath ending that the danger has always been closer than it seemed. The reveal was so shocking that it caused more than a little confusion among Netflix subscribers, but with the Aftermath movie ending explained in full, a few things become clearer.

Netflix's original horror programming has included hits like Bird Box and Gerald's Game, but it also brought more than a few stinkers to light.

Aftermath Ending Explained

A love triangle enabled by secret rooms ends fatally.

The Aftermath movie ending is full of twists and turns. It emerges that Robert, the husband of the woman who sold Nat and Kevin the house, is the one responsible for many of their torments, explaining the apparent haunting of their house to a degree. Due to a crippling amount of financial debt, Robert became angry with his wife for selling the house and started terrorizing the new tenants. The adult magazine subscriptions, vandalism, and the man who attacks Natalie at home all come from Robert, who is apprehended by the police.

It’s revealed that the man, whose real name is Otto, was the lover of the woman who designed the house.

Robert isn’t responsible for everything weird in the house, which essentially sets Aftermath apart from many modern horror movies. After he’s locked up, Natalie and Kevin think they’re finally safe, only to discover that the mysterious figure Nat has seen at night is still there. It’s revealed that the man, whose real name is Otto , was the lover of the woman who designed the house — the same woman who was supposedly murdered by her husband.

The woman designed a secret set of rooms and passageways for Otto so that he could be with her without her husband knowing, but when she eventually chose her husband over him, Otto snapped and killed them both , making it look like a murder-suicide. Otto kills Natalie’s sister Dani, but he’s ultimately overpowered by the combined efforts of Natalie and Kevin, who leave the house forever after that.

International shows on Netflix tend to connect with American audiences on a massive level, some bringing refreshing takes to the wide world of horror.

Why Was Otto In The House In Aftermath?

The weakest point in the aftermath ending is its killer.

The explanation for Otto staying in the Parasite- style basement for so long is shaky, to say the least, and the Aftermath ending doesn’t spend that much time trying to justify his presence. Otto, while still a normal, presumably well-adjusted person, agreed to live in the bowels of the house at his lover’s request . She later decided she was no longer interested in him, prompting him to kill her and her husband. For some reason, rather than flee, Otto decided to remain in the basement afterward.

Otto's mental state deteriorated greatly over the course of his time in the house.

It’s clear in Aftermath that Otto's mental state deteriorated greatly over the course of his time in the house, but the film doesn’t really explain why this happened. Otto had access to all the house’s electronic locks and security systems from the basement, which means he could have left at any time. Indeed, Otto's backstory is the weakest link among the Aftermath storylines.

More information about the couple that built the house, their nature, and the wife’s relationship with Otto is necessary to fully understand why he stays in the basement and becomes obsessed with Natalie. Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t offer any such explanation. The best justification is simply that Otto had already gone mad well before the first murder, which compelled him to stay in the house that he saw as his.

While every genre relies on tropes, horror movies can be especially guilty of relying on them. However, certain movies are completely innovative.

What Will Happen To Natalie And Kevin After Aftermath?

Without a sequel, the fate of the couple is unknown.

By the end of Aftermath , it seems like Natalie and Kevin have mended most of the damage in their relationship . Kevin comes to better support his wife’s professional ambitions, and some of the trust they’d lost appears to be restored. It’s unclear if that means the couple will stay together long-term, but it does suggest that there’s at least more hope for them in the future — a somewhat hopeful ending compared to most other Netflix horror movies .

Of course, the psychological toll of their experience would be severe. Natalie doesn’t get to react to her sister’s death on screen, but it must have been horrific and traumatizing for her to discover. And after all the things that went on in the house at night, neither Kevin nor Natalie may be sleeping that well for some time. The Aftermath movie explained nothing of the aftermath of the event, so it's entirely up to the audience to determine what happened to Natalie and Kevin.

The Real Meaning Of Aftermath’s Ending

Aftermath is about guilt and infidelity.

Like many horror movies, Aftermath uses the terrifying events of its story as a metaphor, which in this case is about infidelity and its emotional toll. The film’s title directly references this theme, alluding to the aftermath of Natalie cheating on Kevin. Otto represents the idea of infidelity throughout the film, manifesting the perceived presence of a third, invisible person in such a scenario. Through this more thematic understanding, the ending becomes more significant.

It takes both of them to defeat the monster in their house.

The fact that Natalie and Kevin ultimately kill Otto together, in a joint effort, represents them coming together to heal the rift caused by Nat’s infidelity. As the Aftermath movie explained, it takes both of them to defeat the monster in their house, just as it takes both of them to defeat the monster in their relationship. Otto, by contrast, gives a grim look at what happens when someone is unable to move past problems in their relationships and instead becomes defined by them. By the end of Aftermath , that proves to be fatal.

Was Aftermath Based On A True Story?

The case of jerry rice and janice ruhter inspired the aftermath movie.

Aftermath was inspired by real events — but with significant changes. It is a loose, cinematic retelling of the harrowing events experienced by real couple Jerry Rice and Janice Ruhter , who suffered similarly sinister and unexplained events after moving into their new home in San Diego in 2011. In the true story that inspired Aftermath , a woman named Kathy Rowe, whom Jerry and Janice outbid for their home, did everything in her power to oust the couple.

This includes ordering thousands of dollars worth of magazine subscriptions to their home, and even sending Valentine's Day cards (supposedly from Jerry) to the couple's female neighbors. The worst thing Rowe did was to send out sexual ads claiming to be from Janice, falsely advertising her desire to be sexually assaulted at home.

Kathy Rowe was sentenced to a year of home electronic surveillance, five years of probation, and ordered to stay away from the couple for 10 years.

Rowe's crimes landed her a year of home electronic surveillance and several years of probation, and she has since apologized publicly for her actions against the couple. Rowe's sentence was rather mild, mainly because, unlike most Netflix true-crime or horror-inspiring deeds, no one really got hurt by what she did. That said, it did take an emotional toll on Jerry and Janice.

How Screenwriter Dakota Gorman Created Aftermath's Harrowing Story

The terrifying true story of aftermath helped the creative process.

In an interview with Jejune Magazine , Aftermath screenwriter Dakota Gorman ( Teen Wolf ) discusses her creative endeavors in the acting, directorial, and screenwriting world, and among her projects that were up for discussion was the Aftermath Netflix movie. According to Gorman, she was approached to collaborate on the project by director/producer Peter Winther. She recalled that the two were able to balance their talents well, with his specialty being structure and her dialogue. Gorman also mentioned she had fun working on the Aftermath script, particularly because it's based on true events. The writer commented:

That script was actually a lot of fun because we drew inspiration from real events, which to me is incredibly terrifying because we weren’t trying to think of something scary, these instances actually existed and to me, there’s nothing more horrifying than the thought of, 'This can happen to me'

An Aftermath Sequel Is Highly Unlikely

There are no plans for aftermath 2.

Despite a noticeable rumble of curiosity, the prospect of an Aftermath sequel is shrouded in strong doubt . The story, which resonated with viewers for its finite and conclusive nature, doesn't naturally lend itself to a continuation. Sequels typically spring from narratives with open-ended questions, yet Aftermath provided a thorough closure to its plot, leaving little room for further exploration without contriving its original fabric.

The silence from Netflix is telling in this regard. There have been no discussions, hints, or announcements pointing toward the development of an Aftermath sequel. This isn't to say Aftermath lacked merit; rather, it's a testament to the integrity of the story as a standalone work.

How The Aftermath Ending Was Received

The audience liked it more than critics.

As a 2021 Netflix release, there were not very many reviews from Rotten Tomatoes- certified critics at the time. Only three professional critics associated with the site reviewed the film, and all three gave it negative reviews. However, despite these bad reviews, the audience score was much higher, with a 62% approval score for the Netflix horror film.

Roger Moore criticized the "unfocused" script and story, and wrote that the movie lost its way.

In his review for Movie Nation , Roger Moore criticized the "unfocused" script and story, and wrote that the movie lost its way long before it reached its eventual ending. He writes that most viewers' eyes were rolling early on and that continues to the " thoroughly conventional climax. " He finishes with, "It's an untidy, unfocused and unsatisfying thriller that won't gild anybody's resume. "

However, there were a lot of positive comments from audience members, who seemed to enjoy the ride and the Aftermath ending. One fan wrote, " The atmosphere is nervewracking with excellent build up till the end, " and another commented, " I found it more entertaining than suspenseful to begin with but then the last 30 minutes was very intense and made me jump! "

Aftermath is a drama film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Scoot McNairy, directed by Elliott Lester. Based on real events, the film explores the emotional journey of a man seeking justice after a tragic plane crash caused by a distracted air traffic controller. As he confronts the grief and devastation, he sets out to find the man responsible, leading to dramatic consequences for both individuals.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Scoot McNairy, Maggie Grace, Kevin Zegers Elliott Lester Javier Gull Rated R 94 Mins. Lionsgate Premiere

Caused, it would seem by the human error of a momentarily distracted air traffic controller, the crash becomes the tattered and frayed tie that binds together the lives of Roman, played with an uncommon vulnerability by Schwarzenegger, and Jake, whose own life is left in chaotic disarray brought heartachingly to life by Scott McNairy.  is based upon the true story of Vitaly Kaloyev, a Russian architect who murdered the air traffic controller he blamed for the death of his family in a 2004 plane crash. In Kaloyev's case, the grief-stricken judgment, while understandable, was largely viewed as incorrect. In  director Elliott Lester ( and scribe Javier Gullon  afford Roman a more righteous and justifiable rage that becomes increasingly out of control the more bureacracy keeps finding its way to his doorstep.  To say that Schwarzenegger is exceptional here feels somewhat an understatement.  devastated me in much the same way as did Mark Wahlberg's top notch turn in  an unexpectedly stellar accounting of the Boston Marathon bombing and its own aftermath that featured Wahlberg moving beyond his usual bravado shtick into a more layered and authentic realm. The thing is, we knew that Wahlberg could act. He may have machismo as his bread n' butter, but Wahlberg has proven time and again he's capable of more nuanced, satisfying performances. Schwarzenegger? Oh sure, he's had his satisfying performances throughout his career but we've never seen a Schwarzenegger performance like we see in  a performance that is underplayed, deeply felt and immensely moving and that even helps to make a slightly predictable and formulaic ending that much more palatable.  isn't your usual Schwarzenegger popcorn flick. Instead, it's the kind of film that lingers in your psyche' and makes you ask yourself the question "What would you do?"  What WOULD you do if someone, or if you perceived that someone, took everything that mattered to you?  Would you trust some sense of justice? Would you forgive? Would you seek revenge? This question, "What would you do?," is what serves as the foundation for  It's a question that is answered, perhaps realistically, in a way that manages to be both predictably formulaic yet emotionally satisfying and more thought-provoking than one might expect.  In addition to Schwarzenegger's performance, which I'd dare say is a career best for him, Scoot McNairy is riveting as Jake, who is initially portrayed as a bit cocky to the point of cavalier yet whose humanity is in fine hands with McNairy. McNairy has a gift for delving deeper into characters who could so easily be one-note and, indeed, that's exactly what he does here. Maggie Grace and Judah Nelson also shine as Jake's fractured wife and son. Amidst the intimate drama that unfolds in  Javier Gullon manages to also paint a vivid, frustratingly realistic picture of the bureaucracy that unfolds after a trauma and how that bureaucracy can add fuel to the trauma's fire for all involved. I suppose you could say it's a realistic look inside the procedural aspects of trauma, but Gullon takes it infinitely deeper.  Mark Todd's original music serves as a perfect companion to the film, while D.P. Pieter Vermeer manages to infuse practically every scene with both an epic sense of the trauma and the intimacy of the lives destroyed by it.  is not without its flaws, most notably an ending that moves less patiently than had the rest of the film and feels a tad abrupt and predictable. Though, rest assured, this is a minor quibble for a film that is truly one of Schwarzenegger's most thought-provoking and emotionally resonant to date. While Schwarzenegger has struggled to regain his Hollywood foothold since setting his political career aside,  is a sure sign that, at least critically, his best days may very well be ahead of him. © Written by Richard Propes The Independent Critic

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘of dogs and men’ review: a thoughtful and quietly powerful israeli docudrama explores the aftermath of oct. 7.

Director Dani Rosenberg ('The Vanishing Soldier') shot his latest feature at the Nir Oz kibbutz just weeks after the attacks that ignited the current Israel-Hamas war.

By Jordan Mintzer

Jordan Mintzer

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Send an Email
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

It hasn’t even been a year since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli soldiers and civilians on the other side of the Gaza border, igniting a long and deadly conflict that is still very much ongoing. And yet, someone has already decided to go and shoot a movie about what happened.

Related Stories

Maura delpero's venice-winning period drama 'vermiglio' lands north american distribution , 'youth (homecoming)' review: documentarian wang bing concludes his chinese garment workers trilogy in compelling fashion, of dogs and men.

These are some of the many questions that one can, and should, ask before seeing Of Dogs and Men ( Al klavim veanashim ), writer-director Dani Rosenberg’s quietly harrowing account of the Oct. 7 massacre and its many victims. Neither fiction nor documentary, but somewhere in between, the small-scale feature follows a lone teenage girl, Dar (Ori Avinoam), who returns to the kibbutz from which she narrowly escaped in order to search for her lost dog.

Rosenberg uses that simple premise to explore the ruins of what was once a peaceful rural community, while also shedding light on the bombings that have been killing civilians in the neighboring Gaza Strip. For a conflict in which many people feel obliged to take sides, the director adapts a more humanistic approach, showing how wars can be completely indiscriminate when it comes to the killing of innocents. And he does so in a way that manages to respect the victims instead of exploiting their memories.

Viewers who sit through Of Dogs and Men , which is barely 80 minutes long and minimalist in terms of narrative, will no doubt find a few bones of contention if they dig hard enough. For instance, much more screen time is given to the Israeli side than the Palestinian one, which is only seen from a safe distance, or else in videos displayed on a phone. But for a director attempting to bear witness to the events of Oct. 7 from the Israeli point of view, Rosenberg makes sure to also reveal the mass destruction taking place just kilometers away in Gaza.

Among the handful of people Dar encounters is Natan Bahat, an 80-something longtime resident of the kibbutz who decided to keep living there, even after his own grandchildren were kidnapped and several of his neighbors were murdered. Natan serves as a heartfelt guide to Dar, driving her around the desolate property and allowing her to spend the night at his house, which was spared by the assailants while other homes were set on fire. The old man also represents the leftist, peace-minded spirit of many Nir Oz residents, telling a story about an Arab friend in Gaza whom he sadly hasn’t heard from since the war started.

Rosenberg, whose previous features include The Vanishing Soldier and The Death of Cinema and My Father Too , is less interested in politics, or exploring the root causes of the unending Israeli-Palestinian conflict, than in putting a human face on tragedy. Dar’s brief conversations — with soldiers, forensic pathologists, volunteers, a kindergarten teacher — give us hints of the true horrors they have been through. The setting is real as well, offering glimpses of a bucolic community that was suddenly interrupted and then completely abandoned.

Despite the intensity of what we’re seeing, there are no easy sentiments or pathos-ridden scenes in Of Dogs and Men , but rather the desire to capture the aftermath of the attacks as earnestly as possible. This includes inserting videos that Dar scrolls through on her phone, where we see terrifying images of the massacre in Israel but also of the unrelenting bombings in Gaza — ones that Dar witnesses from afar as she wanders.

The director further explores the Palestinian side in two scenes. In one, Dar overhears a journalist talking to a man in Gaza who lost nearly two dozen family members, stating their names and ages out loud. In the other, which is the movie’s only true flight of fancy, Dar dreams of her dog befriending a Palestinian boy who has to hide from the bombs being dropped around him. That sequence is done using animation, and while it temporarily distracts us from the film’s more sober realism, it provides a touching vision of a child seeking respite.

Dar is constantly seeking respite as well, and her day-long journey allows us to grasp the weight of what she and others have been going through, even if it’s impossible to put ourselves in their place. Of Dogs and Men is ultimately a small movie, modest in means and surely imperfect. But it strives hard to do what the writer George Eliot once said all art should do, which is to extend our sympathies.

Full credits

Thr newsletters.

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

‘eden’ review: jude law leads a starry cast marooned in ron howard’s odd and off-putting survival tale, desmin borges comedy ‘hangdog’ lands at good deed (exclusive), as documentary producers release guidelines for generative ai, a multi-year initiative begins, longtime marvel executive dave bushore exits (exclusive), where to stream emotional blockbuster ‘inside out 2’ online, box office: revenge of the franchises.

Connie Britton does her best to bring genuine substance and emotion to the clichéd and airless “Here After,” but she can only do so much.

The debut feature from longtime producer Robert Salerno (“21 Grams,” “A Single Man,” “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”) treads familiar horror territory, with its creepy kid behavior, suppressed family trauma and heavy Catholic imagery. As director, Salerno favors canted angles and constant rainfall to create a mysterious mood. But his approach quickly grows repetitive, and we’ve seen it countless times before. He’s worked on so many inventive indies over the years — “Vox Lux” and “Nocturnal Animals” are also among his impressive credits – that it’s sort of baffling as to why he’d want to tell this particular story now that he’s at the helm himself.

Based on a script by Sarah Conradt, “Here After” follows the plight of Britton’s Claire Hiller, an American divorcée living in Rome and teaching at an all-girls school. Her teenage daughter, Robin (Freya Hannan-Mills), is an accomplished pianist who dreams of attending an elite conservatory. She is also selectively mute, and expresses herself through sign language and her music, but seems to maintain a sunny disposition. There’s not much to her, really.

One afternoon, on the way to an important audition, Robin suffers a serious bike accident (in the rain, of course). Doctors pronounce her clinically dead for 20 minutes. Miraculously, though, she gasps back to life – but she’s a little… different . For starters, she can speak, which she hadn’t done for about a decade. But she’s also uncharacteristically surly; she wants to watch cartoons or blast rock music all day, and her eyes darken as she brandishes a devious smile.

Is Robin just a teenager undergoing all the usual hormonal highs and lows? Is she possessed? Or is Claire losing her mind? The question of what’s real and what’s in the mother’s imagination holds some allure for a little while, until “Here After” offers the same sorts of obvious scares again and again. Claire gets some emotional support from her colleague Viv (Babetida Sadjo, a warm and welcome presence), but her ex-husband (Giovanni Cirfiera) is essentially useless. Eventually she goes to see a priest, insisting “only God can help.” This turn toward faith doesn’t jolt the film with any sort of meaningful emotional impact or character arc; she’s been wearing a giant cross around her neck from the first moment we see her, of course she’s going to rely on prayer in a time of desperation. But Britton’s always so good, she manages to make Claire’s anguish feel believable and grounded, even though its origin seems supernatural.

Britton’s subtlety is especially on display during the film’s climax, a dreamlike sequence that takes a formal departure from everything that preceded it. The pacing during this segment is a bit too languid, given how revelatory it’s meant to be, causing it to feel like it’s dragging on longer than it should. But Salerno takes such a chance here stylistically, working with cinematographer Bartosz Nalazek, that it makes you wish he’d incorporated this kind of daring approach throughout.

Instead, this sluggish tale of remorse and forgiveness mostly remains bland and distant, like the many generic aerial shots of Rome that it offers.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series “Ebert Presents At the Movies” opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

• Connie Britton as Claire
• Giovanni Cirfiera as Luca
• Tommaso Basili as Dr. Ben Romano
• Babetida Sadjo as Viv
• Syama Rayner as Adriana
• Alessandro Bressanello as Father Sergio
• Freya Hannan-Mills as Robin
• Andrea Bruschi as Dr. Stancik
• Giorgia Trasselli as Greta
• Lollo Franco as Renato
• Alessandro Riceci as Sagravas
• Laura Anzani as Nurse Giulia
• Robert Salerno
• Sarah Conradt

Leave a comment

Now playing.

Saturday Night

The Killer’s Game

Girls Will Be Girls

The 4:30 Movie

Sweetheart Deal

¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!

Latest articles

TIFF 2024: On Swift Horses, Meet the Barbarians, All of You

Natasha Rothwell Finds New Life in Hulu’s Winning “How to Die Alone”

Starz’ “Three Women” Stumbles Through Its Tale of Stifled Female Passion

TIFF 2024: Table of Contents

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 86% Speak No Evil Link to Speak No Evil
• 77% Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Link to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• 95% Rebel Ridge Link to Rebel Ridge

New TV Tonight

• 85% How to Die Alone: Season 1
• 61% Emily in Paris: Season 4
• 57% The Old Man: Season 2
• 20% Three Women: Season 1
• -- Universal Basic Guys: Season 1
• -- My Brilliant Friend: Story of the Lost Child: Season 4
• -- Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Season 1
• -- The Circle: Season 7
• -- Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father: Season 1
• -- In Vogue: The 90s: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 93% The Penguin: Season 1
• 61% The Perfect Couple: Season 1
• 85% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• 76% Kaos: Season 1
• 100% Slow Horses: Season 4
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• -- Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter: Season 1
• 93% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 93% The Penguin: Season 1 Link to The Penguin: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Resident Evil Movies In Order: How To Watch The Series Chronologically

50 Best New Horror Movies of 2024

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Transformers One First Reviews: The Best Transformers Movie Yet

The Penguin First Reviews: Colin Farrell’s Wild Performance Makes the Series a Must-Watch

• Trending on RT
• Best Horror Movies
• Top 10 Box Office
• Toronto Film Festival
• Free Movies on YouTube

Aftermath Reviews

Aftermath smacks of the best Hollywood thrillers. On the other hand, the pathos of the mass-grave discovery scene evokes the finest bloodshed productions from Hong Kong.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 23, 2024

It's tough to watch but the substance makes it a journey worth taking.

Full Review | Sep 16, 2017

The gripping thriller is meant as a shocker to provide a wake-up call to the world about the necessity of confronting past atrocities.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jan 18, 2015

Despite an unnecessary and rather gruesome plot turn near the end, Aftermath remains a terrifically acted and well-told story that will open a lot of eyes in its portrayal of despicable human behavior.

Full Review | Oct 10, 2014

While a bit rough around the edges, you won't forget Aftermath.

The shocks, and the repressed wickedness, as in all well-done horror films, build slowly, then reach a crescendo that is hard to bear and harder to shake off.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 10, 2014

A mystery, a drama, and a dark glimpse at real events from Poland's history combine in this compelling, sobering film.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Sep 14, 2014

A sense of dread suffuses this film, which offers yet another slice of World War II history.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 31, 2014

There is something especially unsettling about groupthink, particularly when it comes to evil.

Full Review | Mar 14, 2014

Jozek's and Franek's characters (and Czop's and Stuhr's performances) are continually surprising and ultimately indelible. You can read how their mindsets shift as they stumble onto new truths.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Mar 13, 2014

Even if its frequent forays into that genre become too literal and excessive, Pasikowski's capacity for illustrating the inhumanity of humans still delivers the chills.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 9, 2014

One of the new wave of holocaust expose's that probes beneath the surface to expose little known factors and factotums.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Nov 17, 2013

Director Wladyslaw Pasikowski has made the mistake of going about his business as if he were fashioning a horror film.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Nov 15, 2013

Entirely engrossing and intelligent, apart from a couple of scenes where (one character) runs alone into the dark woods when he hears mysterious noises. "Aftermath" serves as a testament to all those attempting to atone for humanity's sins of the past.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Nov 15, 2013

Aftermath is a bombshell disguised as a thriller.

Full Review | Nov 14, 2013

[Pasikowski] made the film anyway as an act of conscience, writing and directing it without a trace of ego but with plenty of narrative efficiency and emotional punch.

Tackling an impossibly bleak subject, Pasikowski infuses the effort with passion and tragedy, making the work come alive onscreen.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Nov 7, 2013

Intelligent and horrifying. One of the best mystery thrillers since Tell No One.

Full Review | Original Score: 8.89/10 | Nov 4, 2013

In a Polish village during the early 1940s, the entire Jewish population of the town has been liquidated...but not by the Germans! This dramatized film uncovered the mystery layer by layer in an engrossing manner.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Nov 3, 2013

Intense thriller exposes the corrosive effect of collective silence and lies over decades. . . Dramatic cinematography keeps contrasting lovely landscapes with nasty doings.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Nov 3, 2013

‘Berlin’ review: Reconstructing the Hindi paranoid thriller

This is a Mint Premium article gifted to you. Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.

There used to be a lot more Russia in India. Up until the 1990s, there was a natural curiosity about the Soviet Union and its allies, informed by, though not limited to, political ties. Modest bookstalls usually had Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Gorky in Indian languages. East Germany’s Radio Berlin International and Moscow’s Radio Sputnik broadcast in Hindi for decades. Travelling circuses were “Russian", even when they weren’t. I remember, in pre-cable times, watching vaguely Eastern European children’s programming on Doordarshan.

Berlin remembers. The protagonist of Atul Sabharwal’s film is named Pushkin, after the Russian poet. In his first scene, he’s shown dwarfed by an imposing concrete facade, the kind of Brutalist building that can be found all over Delhi, and which is inextricably linked with Soviet city planning. Even the brand of disinfectant Pushkin uses (an anagram of Savlon) has a Russian lilt: Nolsav.

Also read: Can mindful tourism save India's mangrove forests?

Pushkin Verma (Aparshakti Khurana), a teacher at a deaf school, is called in by the “Bureau" on an unspecified assignment. The framing in those early scenes tells us he’s out of his depth: he’s a small figure in large empty rooms and stood against looming structures. The man in charge of the Soviet desk, Jagdish Sondhi (Rahul Bose), immediately thrusts him into an interrogation without so much as a briefing. They suspect Ashok Kumar (Ishwak Singh), a deaf waiter, to be a spy, though for whom is unclear. Pushkin will ask him the questions he’s handed, no more, no less, and speak out both his signed questions and Ashok’s responses, which will be recorded and passed up the ladder.

Though it unfolds in the winter of 1993, Berlin is a Cold War spy film, a rarity in Hindi cinema. Set in Delhi, it lays out a specific geography: two Indian spy agencies, the office of the ministry of foreign affairs, the Soviet embassy, the embassy of the German Democratic Republic, and in the middle, a meeting place called Café Berlin. The CIA is mentioned once or twice, but America is mostly absent. Intriguingly, so are Kashmir and Pakistan—though Sabharwal, who’s also written the film, makes them a spectral presence: the ghosts that inform every diplomatic move. On several occasions, our attention is drawn to newspaper articles about Russia. Each time, the accompanying story is about Kashmir.

There’s a possible plan to assassinate the Russian president, due to arrive in a week. But note the casual way in which the film treats this threat. Clearly there’s more at play. A picture starts forming when Pushkin is harassed by members of “Wing", the other intelligence agency, which has its problems with Sondhi. Ashok, who worked at Café Berlin, is definitely mixed up in something... but what exactly? And who’s the sad-looking young woman (Anupriya Goenka) who flits in and out of the story?

The café at the centre of everything is nondescript and unique. The waitstaff are all deaf, a bit of insurance for patrons whose careless words could bring down nations (Ashok describes their function as “ behre deewaar ", soundproof walls between tables). Ashok admits to being fascinated by the intricate spy games taking place in his view. Over a montage of him pasting tickets and bits of paper from the café into a scrapbook, we hear his testimony in Pushkin’s voice: “They did their work and we made up stories, tried to guess what each is up to. By doing so, we deaf people could imagine we were smart like those officers, that we could think, understand, see like them." Ashok’s desire to feel relevant is at the heart of the film. When he meets a deaf fixer of stolen cars, he’s thrown for a toss, realising that, unlike him, the man was hired for his ability, not because his deafness is useful.

Sabharwal is great at working in moments like this, chance encounters that illuminate character and give his screenplays the rhythms of lived experience. He’s also shown, in his own films and in his writing for others, a knack for burrowing into specific historical settings. The Bombay mill agitations provide the backdrop to the cop drama Class of '83 ; the ruptures of new nationhood in Jubilee are reflected in the fracturing movie studio at the show’s centre. Berlin is a resolutely drab undercutting of both the overheated Hindi spy film and the increasingly popular 1990s nostalgia narrative. Liberalisation is underway, but it hasn’t changed Pushkin’s life: he doesn’t own a car or have the initiative to seek out an MNC job. He’s stuck in time, just like the spooks who couldn’t adjust to life after Glasnost.

Perhaps some arcane censor board rule prevented Sabharwal from saying Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing, but the shortening is fortuitous. “Bureau" and “Wing" are ominous, Kafkaesque in their vagueness. There’s Kafka in other aspects of the film as well: a nervous protagonist whose luck keeps getting worse, the implacable villainy of bureaucracy, paranoia tinged with mordant humour (one of the film’s running gags is how woefully Pushkin fails every time he attempts anything like spy work). The sense of unease is reinforced by Shree Namjoshi’s roving camera; it follows that Berlin is dedicated to Alan J Pakula, director of paranoid 70s thrillers like Three Days of the Condor and All The President's Men , and Brian De Palma.

I wasn’t fully convinced by Khurana’s movie star in Jubilee but he’s perfect for Pushkin, with his Manoj Prabhakar moustache, ugly sweaters and soul-emptying sighs. Compare his joyless signing to the flourishes of Ashok, played very smartly by Singh as a man in a hole determined to have the time of his life. There’s also a plate of prime ham served by Rahul Bose, a bully who’s constantly frustrated. “Pushkin! Keep talking to us!" he screams when his interrogator misses saying Ashok’s response aloud. A later rant sums up the film. “What is truth?" he spits at Pushkin. “The truth is that which is recorded, which is typed, which is filed, which is signed by an officer, and finally, which is archived." A deception that elevates us is dearer than a host of low truths, wrote the other Pushkin. Berlin achieves this without sacrificing any of its cynicism.

‘Berlin’ is on Zee5.

Also read: Music biopics get creative at the Toronto International Film Festival

Mint specials, wait for it….

Log in to our website to save your bookmarks. It'll just take a moment.

You are just one step away from creating your watchlist!

Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.

Your session has expired, please login again.

Congratulations!

You are now subscribed to our newsletters. In case you can’t find any email from our side, please check the spam folder.

Subscribe to continue

This is a subscriber only feature Subscribe Now to get daily updates on WhatsApp