The Aftermath (2018)
Based on the novel of the same
name, The Aftermath is a provocative exploration
of regret, loss, guilt, and lust.
When Rachel Morgan (Keira Knightley)
arrives in Germany reeling from the death of their son
in the Blitz, she does not expect to share her new home
with the original occupant. Her workaholic husband Lewis
(Jason Clarke) assures her it’s all right; there’s no
need to show any discourtesy to Stephen Lubert
(Alexander Skarsgård). But everywhere she looks, Rachel
sees reminders of her loss, and of the war they fought
against this country. Shadowed outlines where portraits
of Hitler used to hang. Beautiful furniture that does
not belong to her. A priceless piano her son would have
loved to play on.
She attempts to rekindle her
romance with her husband, but his detachment while he
grapples with their son’s death leaves a gap between
them. A space in her heart and body that, if she’s not
careful, her German host may fill…
While the tale of a torrid love
affair, the film also deals with serious issues, such as
the devastation in Germany after the war. It reminds us
British bombers leveled cities, left parents childless,
and children parentless. It shows us a country of
starving, desperate people, and those who cannot find it
in their hearts to forgive them the sins of the Nazis.
The camera peers through rubble and finds bodies
entwined beneath broken stone. It shows us the hardship
faced by parents who lost a child. The guilt and remorse
of those unable to stop a loss after it happens. And how
these conflicted, turbulent emotions can drive people
into one another’s arms, to experience a “need” both of
them share. It’s lust. To explain it any other way makes
no sense. The lust of a lonely, desperate woman whose
husband seems out of reach, and a man who lost
everything from his wife, to his relationship with his
daughter, to the home he lives in, which now “belongs”
to someone else, an occupier. It’s neither a cautionary
tale (though you could call it “how neglect leads to
broken bonds”) nor complicit in its adultery, but leaves
the audience with mixed emotions–surprise,
disappointment, even relief. It features beautiful
performances, costumes, hairstyles, and the glamor of
post-war life. The emotions feel raw and real. The music
is haunting. But it’s hard to root for the gasping,
clutching lust at its core. It’s simply less meaningful
than the rest of the story.
Sexual Content:
Two sex scenes (movement, nudity), one of them long and tender;
other inferences of preparing for, or post-sex; a man talks about wanting to see
his wife out of her dress; a couple undress together and clutch at each other.
Nude paintings hang around the house. A soldier says a couple of bodies wanted
one last bit of pleasure during the bombings.
Language:
One f-word, one use of “bastard,” some use of “bloody,” and abuse
of God’s name, Jesus’ name is abused twice.
Violence:
Bodies are found in the rubble (bloodied,
mummified skeletons). A man is shot through the head; another is shot through
the neck and bleeds to death; a person drowns; a riot turns bloody.
Other:
Smoking and drinking.
