Aleem Khan’s moving drama, featuring a stunning performance by Joanna Scanlan, asks us to consider how well we know the people we share our lives with.
Mary Hussain (Scanlan) is devastated by the news that her husband, the captain of a ferry, has died. But no sooner has she sorted out his funeral she begins to suspect there was more to his life than he let on. Just across the English channel, Ahmed (Nasser Memarzia) was living another family life with Genevieve (Nathalie Richard) and their son Solomon (Tarid Ariss). Stunned, Mary decides to find out who this woman is and why she wasn’t enough for Ahmed.
Khan’s film is a powerful portrait of relationships – how conventions don’t always meet individual’s desires and the pain this can cause. Eschewing sensation in favour of nuanced characterisation, After Love explores the lengths we will go to in order to find out truths about those we love and the consequences of that knowledge.
