Review: The Aftermath

Much like Anna Karenina stepping off the train and into a tragic love triangle, so too does Rachael Morgan as she arrives in Hamburg, circa 1945, as the ruined city begins to rebuild in the solid if somewhat emotionally unrewarding romantic melodrama, The Aftermath.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that both roles have been essayed by Keira Knightley, who is arguably the premier actress when it comes to looking of a particular period without sacrificing her modernity. The role of Rachael is very much in her wheelhouse and, whilst not necessarily one of her best roles, showcases what a truly fine actress she has become and continues to be. Rachael is a woman very much in the throes of grief over the death of her only child, who was killed by a German bomb during the war. She has reunited with her husband, Lewis (Jason Clarke), a British colonel helping in the peacetime clean-up efforts.

The house in which they live is not their own, but rather one requisitioned by the British army. Its owner, German architect Stefan Lubert (Alexander Skarsgård), welcomes the couple warmly, betraying no sign of his bitterness, though his teenage daughter Freda (Flora Thiemann) is as standoffish to them as Rachael is to Stefan. Rachael is none too pleased when Lewis kindly and generously allows Stefan and Freda to remain in their home until the British forces leave. Awkwardness and tension abound as the husband and wife and father and daughter deal not only with their new living arrangements but also with repairing their respective relationships.

Yet loss and loneliness have a way of bringing people together, and Rachael and the widowed Stefan soon find themselves embroiled in a passionate affair. The chemistry between Knightley and the magnetic Skarsgård is electric. A scene in which they hold each other's stare as they realise they have the house to themselves is more erotic and sensual than the one in which they finally make love. There is, however, an underlying sense that something is left unexplored or unexplained in their attraction, perhaps a more complex observation of how resentment can act as an aphrodisiac in times of trouble and uncertainty.

The film is certainly lovely to look at thanks to cinematographer Frantz Lustig, and director James Kent expertly handles the proceedings in his sophomore outing.

The Aftermath

Directed by: James Kent

Written by: Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse; based on the novel by Rhidian Brook

Starring: Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgård, Jason Clarke, Martin Compston, Flora Thiemann, Kate Phillips, Jannick Schümann