Review of After the Dark (2013) by Wildaly M — 20 Feb 2014

I liked the premise which is what initially drove me to watch the film. With all it's arguments concerning fairness and ethics, I was ultimately left unconvinced by the film's supposed conclusion due to its unevenness and flaws. While I appreciated the dramatization of philosophical thought experiments with end of the world scenarios, it's not well-executed. I admit it was intriguing enough to get me to watch the entire film but I found myself scoffing at the curiously illogical things that happen in this movie. The acting was also something I didn't exactly loved: most of the time these kids are portrayed in a sort of self-important, know-it-all approach which is understandable but ultimately annoying (especially Petra's leisure and generally stoic attitude).

*spoilers ahead*.

Things that are unusual or not well-explained (making them unnecessary for the plot) are why one of the students, James, is warned by Petra not to "fall asleep again" and is late to class as well as why some students are reluctant or try to refuse to participate in the thought experiment. The second scenario also makes the assumption that all the couples would become infertile because of "apocalypse shock" and that midwives are able to tell when a woman is ovulating or on her period just by looking at her. These are just some of the inconsistencies found in a movie supposedly exploring reason, logic, and other topics of philosophy. Not very smart in my opinion.

The ending is also very unsatisfying and confusing. Why should the teacher act such a very unprofessional manner towards his students because of a likely illegal affair he had with Petra, one of his students? His motivations and actions are dubious at best but it's all moot. In the end, we are inexplicably left with three scenes depicting different possible ways the teacher reacts to her rejection.