After 2019

     This film is based on the book After written as here first novel by Anna Todd.  Tess Young goes to college.  She is a dedicated student dutiful daughter and loyal girlfriend to her high school sweetheart.  She is entering her first semester and she has grand ambitions for her future.  She meets dark and mysterious Hardin Scott.  He is a magnetic, brooding rebel.  Everything she believes is in question after meeting Harden.  Tess’s mother Carol comes to visit and she’s not happy to find that Tessa has changed.  Carol was worried about this because Tessa’s roommate was not a person Carol would have chosen to live with her daughter.

     I have not read the book this film is based upon.  In a review comment, supposedly completely butchers the book and not convincing enough? Tess begins to grow and change now that she is away from her controlling mother.  Tess’ father left them and Carol has struggled to be on her own.  Carol is happy that Tess is dating a local boy Noah.  Carol thinks they are perfect for each and Carol does a flip-out when she learns about Hardin.  This relationship is everything Carol doesn’t want for Tess!!  I didn’t know how this film was going to end and I also didn’t know there was a five part series.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

105 min, Drama directed by Jenny Gage with Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Khadijha Red thunder, Dylan Arnold, Shane Paul McGhie, Samuel Larsen, Inanna Sarjkus, Selma Blair,Pia Mia, Swen Temmel, Meadow Williams, Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Beals, Michael Hull, Sarah Jorge Leon. 

Note:  Imdb 5.4* out of 5*, Rotten Tomatoes 17% critic 72% audience, Roger Ebert 1* Mark Dujsik, Metacritic 30 out of 100 with 8 critics (0 positive, 4 mixed, 4 negative) user score 5.1 out of 10 with 61 reviews (27 postive 4 mixed, 30 negative), Amazon Video 3.8* out of 5* with 260 reviews, Common Sense Media Jennifer Green age 15+ 3* out of 5*, 3* positive messages, 2* role models, 4* sex, 3* language 4* drinking, drugs smoking.

 

Special Note:  Filmed in Atlanta and Emory University, Georgia.  Anna has had the novel Wuthering Heights since she was a teenager.  Hardin’s copy is the same one.  Originally the film rights were sold to Paramount.  Anna Todd wanted more freedom in the adaptation of the novel to film.  The rights were returned and then sold to Aviron.  Josephine Langford had only about a week to prepare for her role as Tessa Young.  She read the books and the script while on a plane.  The full After series includes After, After We Collided, After We Fell, After Every Happy and Before.  There is a cameo appearance of Anna Todd waling ot of Vance Publishing as Tessa is entering.