A couple divorcing after 15 years together is navigating life and its changes while still living together and trying to find a way to make things work as best they can.
Written by Fanny Burdino, Joachim Lafosse, and Mazarine Pingeot, with collaboration by Thomas van Zuyken, After Love is directed by Joachim Lafosse who navigates through this divorce story with an unflinching look at how a couple that is no longer functioning as such try and make things work through their separation, divorce, and division of assets. The film created here is an honest look into the lives of two people who are a bit lost and definitely trying to have a better life. The way this is developed makes it into a realistic look into a divided family unit, a franc view of what it’s like to divorce with two kids in the situation, what it’s like to divorce with assets, and what it’s like to not want to give up on your principles while doing this.
This story is one that could have become tired or tiring even, but the cast elevates it to a human level. Berenice Bejo and Cedric Kahn play the divorcing couple and the way they each show emotions and how the ordeal is affecting them is realistic and filled with emotions. They both show different facets of their respective characters, something that is shown through different reactions by each of them, different ways of handling the situation, its difficulties, and its challenges. They chose the downfall of a couple in a way that should reach many viewers by its reality and honesty. Both Bejo and Kahn show the proper amount of emotions and restraint when needed, giving very talented performances with the right nuances and feelings.
The film being set mostly inside the couple’s home which they still share throughout the separation while working on their divorce makes it that much more personal, that much more real. The house is definitely a nice one, but it has been carefully chosen to be one that looks really lived in by a family. The couple arguing over said house creates a good metaphor for the divorce itself and how they have come to it. This house and how it is viewed is well shown through the cinematography by Jean-Francois Hensgens, showing it as almost a character and definitely as a big part of the story. Every interaction between the couple happens in this house, except for a couple of scenes outside of it. The house represents the heart of their family, their reason for arguing, so the way it’s framed and shown matters more than one might think. The rest of the film, when they are not at home, feels different through the images and how everything is shown.
After Love is a very realistic, touching, and at times poignant even view on a couple’s separation, divorce, and division of assets. It takes a story that happens to way too many couples and set it in a home, with a family, showcasing real emotions to create a film that is sad and emotional while also almost being hopeful. The cast is perfect for their parts and the film gives an unflinching look into divorce. It’s not a fun watch, but almost a necessary one.