The Aftermath Movie Review
I know what you’re thinking. Another movie about World War II? What could possibly be left to cover? Director James Kent’s answer is The Aftermath which quite literally covers the period of time directly after the Allies beat Germany. Lewis Morgan (Jason Clarke) is in the British armed forces and is tasked with keeping order amidst the rubble in Germany. After being separated for much of the war, his wife Rachel (Keira Knightley) joins him in Germany. It’s clear from the start that the two have some sort of emotional barrier preventing them from being close. This barrier provides the backbone for much of the story.
Anyways, the British have requisitioned German houses to use as housing for their officers. The Morgan’s get put up in the house of a handsome German architect, Stephen Lubert (Alexander Skarsgård). Lewis has a soft spot for the Germans and lets Stephen stay on at the house and they attempt to coexist. That’s when the real fun starts. You have two extremely beautiful people in Rachel and Stephen (Knightley and Skarsgård) who are trapped in a house together. Plus, Lewis is conveniently never around because he’s out patrolling the streets. I wonder what could go wrong.
There’s a lot of added drama with tensions at an all time high and deaths from the past looming over each of the characters. Despite the added layers of intensity this was a pretty middle of the road movie. I enjoyed it mainly because I got to stare at Knightley and Skarsgård the whole time. The acting was spot on (props to Knightley here for a very believable performance) and I didn’t expect the ending. However, by the time we got to the end I wasn’t too invested in the outcome. There’s a lot of hurt and pain sprinkled into this love story. But the story itself didn’t grip me enough to be too invested in it.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like stories that have WWII as a backdrop
2. You like romantic love triangles
3. You’d like to stare at two ridiculously beautiful people for two hours
