Afterwards

Plot

As a child, Nathan Del Amico (Duris) 'dies' in an accident, but comes 'back'. Years later, now a career-driven New York plaintiff's lawyer obsessed with work, he meets Joseph Kay (Malkovich), a doctor who claims that he can foresee other people's deaths, and that he is a "messenger" sent to help Nathan put his life's priorities in order. Nathan and his wife (Lilly) had recently lost their son to SIDS, leading to their divorce. Once Nathan is convinced about the doctor's ability, he visits his ex-wife and daughter in New Mexico.

Cast

Production

Gilles Bourdos and Michel Spinosa wrote Afterwards as a film adaptation of Guillaume Musso's French novel Et après.... The film, a C$10 million co-production between Canada's Christal Films Productions and France's Fidélité Films, was filmed over six weeks in New York, Quebec and New Mexico. Filming in Manhattan commenced on June 4, 2007. Production moved to New Mexico from June 15–19, where scenes were shot at various locations in Albuquerque, Alamogordo, Jemez Springs and Tularosa. Filming resumed in Montreal on July 7 and lasted for approximately 25 days; the city was chosen as a filming location for its tax deduction incentives and the ease in making "Montreal look like anywhere in the world". Though writer/director Bourdos is French, as is Musso's adapted novel and co-financier Christal Films Productions, Afterwards was shot almost entirely in English.

Release

The film had its world premiere on September 7, 2008 at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, looking for a U.S. distribution buyer. It was theatrically released by Mars Distribution on January 14, 2009 in France and Belgium, earning US$159,500 from 250 screens on its opening weekend in France. It went on to gross $1.1 million in its first week and ranked fifth in the Paris area.

Seville Pictures bought the rights to the film's Canadian distribution from Christal Films, which also produced the film and provided 30% of finances.