Review: Aftermath

It's not only the miscasting of Arnold Schwarzenegger that plagues the Darren Aronofsky-produced, Javier Gullón-scripted, and Elliott Lester-directed drama, Aftermath. Its most irreparable hurdle is its catatonic pacing, which both enervates and aggravates.

Inspired by the real-life 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision, which resulted in a Russian man, whose family was killed in the crash, murdering one of the tower crew in front of his wife and children, Aftermath begins with Schwarzenegger's Roman, a construction foreman about to be reunited with his wife and pregnant daughter. When he arrives at the airport and approaches a ticket desk to inquire about the flight's delay, he's quickly ushered into a sterile room where he's told of the crash and his family's death. His grief leads him to volunteer at the crash site, where luggage and various pieces of clothing are strewn amongst parts of the plane. There he's horrified to discover the body of his daughter, still strapped into her seat, which dangles from a tree.

Roman's grief unravels him - he quits his job, spends his nights sleeping next to the graves of his wife, daughter and unborn grandchild, and is increasingly upset when everyone involved offers him everything but a simple apology. He wants someone to take accountability - for him, time will not heal this particular wound.

In the meantime, air traffic controller Jake (Scoot McNairy), who inadvertently caused the collision but was absolved of any guilt by the airline safety hearings, is trapped in his own private hell of guilt, suffering a nervous breakdown that threatens to disintegrate his family. It's inevitable that Roman and Jake, bound by their suffering, will soon face one another. But will their fateful encounter result in absolution or vengeance?

To be honest, it matters not a whit for the whole thing is so airless and downbeat. This is a film that does nothing but go through the motions, hitting one predictable beat after another, with little to offer by way of insight or complexity. To be fair to Schwarzenegger, he delivers a solid performance - between this and last year's Maggie, he's proven himself to be good at understated turns - but the complicated depths of this role are simply beyond his capabilities. It's a shame, really, because the tale could have been so much more resonant, its tragedy more searing, had there been a more psychologically nimble actor in his role.

Aftermath

Directed by: Elliott Lester

Written by: Javier Gullón

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Scoot McNairy, Maggie Grace, Kevin Zegers, Hannah Ware, Mariana Klaveno, Glenn Morshower, Larry Sullivan, Martin Donovan