Review of After the Dark (2013) by Marischa B — 25 Mar 2014

My copy of the movie After The Dark had a title The Philosophers and I was a little bit confused at the beginning if they gave me the right movie. This science fiction psychological thriller written and directed by John Huddles is his third feature film and stars Sophie Lowe, Rhys Wakefield, Bonnie Wright, James D'Arcy, Daryl Sabara, Freddie Stroma, Cinta Laura and Katie Findlay.

The story of Mr. Zimit (James D'Arcy), a philosophy teacher at an international school in Jakarta, who has been challenging his class of twenty with thought exercises to prepare them for their futures out in the world was unrealistic and boring. On the last day of school, he holds a final exercise in which he posits an oncoming atomic apocalypse. There is a bunker ready to shelter them for a year, but it only has supplies for ten people. Zimit asks his students to decide who of them should be allowed into the shelter. The top student in the class, Petra (Sophie Lowe), initially refuses to participate, but Zimit threatens to lower her academic score if she doesn't...

This is a movie which has a great cinematography, and not bad directing... while the screenplay was like a futile exercise of someone who is desperately trying to be smart, but the result is completely opposite. The movie has a very strong start, but as started progressing the clear weaknesses become so obvious that the audience sometimes starts laughing, genuinely! Of course, because those laughs were not intended, the seriousness of the movie suffers immensely... especially when the dose of surprise becomes non-existent towards the second part.

If you want to see a movie with solid acting and directing, excellent photography and camera work, and a story with more holes that Swiss cheese, give it a go!