"Aftermath" (2012 release from Poland: 2014 DVD release in the US; 107 min.) brings the fictional story of the aftermath of WWII in a rural village in Poland. As the movie opens, we see Francis Kalina landing at Warsaw's airport. We later learn that he basically left/fled Poland for the US when General Jaruzelski declared martial law in 1981 and that this is his first time back in 20 years (thus setting the movie in the early '00s). Francis comes to visit his younger brother Jozef who runs a small farm. It's not long before we notice that the villagers seem to despise Jozef. We then learn that Jozef has taken a personal interest in restoring tomb stones of local Jews who were murdered by the Germans in WWII, and Jozef is recreating a cemetery on his farm one by one with the tomb stones he recovers. Meanwhile, in a parallel story, things seem askew with the property title of Jozef's farm. To tell you more about this plot-heavy movie would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: I saw this movie recently at a film festival (more on that later). I had never heard of the movie, and didn't know anything about it or the plot going in. I was surprised how long it took for the true story lines to emerge. When Jozef, the younger brother, is assaulted in a café a good 30-40 min. into the movie for no apparent reason, I made the mental note... "why?". The story line involving the property titles is developed even later, about an hour into the movie. Frankly, by then I was about to give up on the movie. I decided to hang in there, and yes, the last 30-40 min. redeem the movie to a degree. Perhaps one of the reasons that I had trouble connecting is that I was not all that impressed with the acting performances, I mean, you truly watch them "act" when in a film you shouldn't feel as if you are watching "acting", you know what I mean? All that aside, the historic background and ulterior intentions of the movie can never be in doubt, and just from that angle, this is something people should watch.
I recently saw "Aftermath" at the 2015 Jewish & Israeli Film Festival here in Cincinnati. The screening was sold out, but more importantly, the organizers have assembled a top-notch quality line-up of movies such as The Green Prince, Dancing in Jaffa, and The Third Half, just to name those. As a movie buff and a support of the Israeli cause, I absolutely love this festival. As to "Aftermath", the movie is well-intended but takes forever to establish, so I'm giving it a mixed 3.5 stars: not bad but not great either.
Couple of comments: I saw this movie recently at a film festival (more on that later). I had never heard of the movie, and didn't know anything about it or the plot going in. I was surprised how long it took for the true story lines to emerge. When Jozef, the younger brother, is assaulted in a café a good 30-40 min. into the movie for no apparent reason, I made the mental note... "why?". The story line involving the property titles is developed even later, about an hour into the movie. Frankly, by then I was about to give up on the movie. I decided to hang in there, and yes, the last 30-40 min. redeem the movie to a degree. Perhaps one of the reasons that I had trouble connecting is that I was not all that impressed with the acting performances, I mean, you truly watch them "act" when in a film you shouldn't feel as if you are watching "acting", you know what I mean? All that aside, the historic background and ulterior intentions of the movie can never be in doubt, and just from that angle, this is something people should watch.
I recently saw "Aftermath" at the 2015 Jewish & Israeli Film Festival here in Cincinnati. The screening was sold out, but more importantly, the organizers have assembled a top-notch quality line-up of movies such as The Green Prince, Dancing in Jaffa, and The Third Half, just to name those. As a movie buff and a support of the Israeli cause, I absolutely love this festival. As to "Aftermath", the movie is well-intended but takes forever to establish, so I'm giving it a mixed 3.5 stars: not bad but not great either.