After the Wedding (2019)

Directed by: Bart Freundlich | 107 minutes | drama | Actors: Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Billy Crudup, Abby Quinn, Alex Esola, Susan Blackwell, Will Chase, Eisa Davis, Azhy Robertson, Tre Ryder, Vir Pachisia, Anjula Bedi, Kaizad Gandhi, Greta Quispe, Alex Cranmer, Ron Simons, Jeff Kim, Jill Lord

When movie buffs talk about remakes, the remark often comes up that the raison d’être for these retellings lies in the persistent refusal of American movie viewers to read subtitles. A rather bold statement, but in the case of ‘After the Wedding’ from 2019, this statement could just be true. This simplified version of the 2007 Danish film with the same title is simply superfluous. The original is superior in every way.

‘After the Wedding’ revolves around Isabel (Michelle Williams). This lady runs an Indian orphanage with limited resources. ‘Selfmade woman’ Theresa (Julianne Moore) invites her to New York to talk about financial support for the home. Theresa and Isabel get on very well and before Isabel knows it, she has an invitation to Theresa’s daughter’s wedding. This celebratory event turns the lives of both women upside down forever.

The Danish Susanne Bier canned ‘After the Wedding’ in 2007 and that earned her an Oscar nomination for best foreign film. Bart Freundlich will not equal that performance, because his retelling lacks weight for that. This remake lacks the rawness and tranquil imagery of Bier. She wasn’t so ostentatious about provoking emotions. The dialogues and soundtrack fish for tearful handkerchiefs. that is counterproductive, because the film does not stick and is too slippery. The characters are incomprehensible.

What graces Freundlich is that he has chosen to have the male lead roles in the original in his remake filled in by women. It makes the movie just a little bit different. Unfortunately, this approach did not yield a better version of the story. Freundlich presents the story of Isabel and Theresa as a soap-like affair. Williams and Moore are on a roll, but their strong playing cannot save this film. The acting is good and it’s amazing how these two top actresses manage to give some content to their cardboard caricatural characters. Unfortunately to no avail.