The Aftermath (2019)

Directed by: James Kent | 109 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke, Alexander Skarsgård, Jack Laskey, Fionn O’Shea, Kate Phillips, Martin Compston, Frederick Preston, Flora Thiemann, Jannik Schümann, Tom Bell, Joseph Arkley, Abigail Rice, Ivan Shvedoff

A Bouquetroman set in the aftermath of the Second World War: that’s the best way to describe ‘The Aftermath’. Although the horrors of a Germany controlled by Adolf Hitler are still ebbing, this film set in 1946 mainly revolves around a love triangle between a woman, a German and a Briton. This sounds like the synopsis of a terrible, tasteless film, but luckily the strong cast manages to raise this production to a reasonable level.

In ‘The Aftermath’, Rachael Morgan (Keira Knightley) returns to Hamburg. The city has become a large mass grave after a British bombardment. Tens of thousands of corpses lie on the street. In this hell, Morgan tries to rearrange her life with her husband Lewis (Jason Clarke). This colonel is tasked with tracking down escaped Nazis. The couple moves into a large mansion on the outskirts of the city. This house belongs to the German architect Stefan (Alexander Skarsgård) who lives there with his daughter. Lewis does not want to just put father and daughter on the street and tolerates their presence. Bad plan, because slowly something begins to blossom between his wife and Stefan.

Director James Kent has created a decent, if corny, melodrama. It is thanks to the cast that this glorified regional novel is worthwhile. Knightley was born for these kinds of introverted roles. Her face is expressive enough to reflect Rachael’s repressed emotions. With her game, the British actress succeeds in making this apparently so cold woman empathetic. Skarsgård is also convincing as a charming German father. He puts down a human being and not a foaming Nazi. Finally, Clarke is a fickle actor with a limited palette. In this film, too, he acts very dull and portrays a downright colorless figure. Lewis is a flat character. The fact that there isn’t an ounce of chemistry between Clarke and Knightley doesn’t help. The relationship between the two is not credible.

‘The Aftermath’ is a quintessential British costume drama. You’ve got to love it. The lover of beautiful costumes, solid acting and a sober soundtrack can indulge in this beautifully shot, but nowhere noteworthy film.