After (2019 film)
After is a 2019 American romantic drama film starring Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. It is based on the 2014 new adult fiction novel of the same name written by Anna Todd.
The film was released in the United States on April 12, 2019, by Aviron Pictures. It was a commercial success after gaining $69.7 million worldwide against a $14 million budget.
Plot
Freshly graduated from high school, Tessa Young begins to attend college, moving into dorms with the help of her mother and boyfriend, Noah, where she meets Steph, her new roommate, and her girlfriend Tristan.The day after moving in, Tessa befriends Hardin Scott, a friend of Steph's, and Landon, his friend. Steph invites Tessa to a party, which she declines, but is eventually persuaded to go later on.
At the party, Tessa meets Steph's friends Zed, Molly and Jace, and meets Hardin for the second time. The group play truth or dare, revealing in turn Tessa's virginity; she is dared to make out with Hardin, but refuses. Later at the party, Tessa bumps into Hardin again, who attempts to kiss her.
In Literature class the following day, Landon reveals to Tessa that he and Hardin are going to be related as his mother is engaged to Hardin's father. Following a debate in class, Hardin approaches Tessa and insists they start over, inviting her to a nearby lake. While they swim, Hardin kisses Tessa, saying that they cannot just be friends.
The two head to a diner, encountering Molly and Zed, who Tessa says she will tell Noah about her and Hardin's kiss. Hardin tells her not to, saying that he does not date, disappointing Tessa. Noah surprises Tessa with a sudden visit, and the two have an evening together by a bonfire.
In a game of Suck and Blow at a party, Jace purposely fails in order to kiss Tessa, causing him and Hardin to fight. While Noah sleeps after the party, Tessa leaves to check on Hardin, who has destroyed the house in drunken anger. She comforts him, and the two reconcile and kiss.
The next day, Tessa goes back to her dorm to check on Noah, who finds out about her relationship with Hardin and leaves heartbroken. Tessa and Hardin finally decide to date, but her mother threatens to cut her off financially if she continues the relationship, believing him to be a bad influence.
Hardin finds an apartment for the two to live in, and they attend the wedding reception of his father and Landon's mother together. Hardin reveals that his father was a drunkard and his mother was assaulted by the men he messed with while drunk. Tessa comforts him and the two head back to their apartment to have sex. The next morning, while they are in the bathtub together, Hardin writes 'I love you' on Tessa's back.
Tessa becomes concerned about the text messages sent to Hardin by Molly. She tries to confront him, but he dismisses her and leaves. After leaving the apartment to find him, she discovers him at a diner with Molly, Zed, Steph and Jace. Molly cruelly reveals Hardin's true intentions, showing Tessa a video from the first party they went to, revealing that Hardin only pursued Tessa as a challenge to make her fall in love and then break her heart by breaking up with her.
Tessa, shocked and heartbroken, runs out of the diner, despite Hardin following her, attempting to explain, and stating that he loves her. Tessa goes home to reconcile with her mother and Noah, who both forgive her. In the weeks that follow, Tessa cuts ties with Steph and her group of friends, eventually interviewing for a program at Vance Publishing with the intention of leaving college.
However, after Literature class one afternoon, Tessa's teacher, Professor Soto, returns to her an essay written by Hardin, saying that his essay was about her. Tessa reads it as she travels back to the lake where they first kissed; by the time he appears to join her, Hardin is narrating his letter, confessing his love for her.
Cast
- Josephine Langford as Tessa Young
- Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as Hardin Scott
- Selma Blair as Carol Young
- Shane Paul McGhie as Landon Gibson
- Khadijha Red Thunder as Steph Jones
- Inanna Sarkis as Molly Samuels
- Samuel Larsen as Zed Evans
- Pia Mia as Tristan
- Dylan Arnold as Noah Porter
- Jennifer Beals as Karen Scott
- Peter Gallagher as Ken Scott
Production
Within one month, the story had acquired 544 million readers on the site. Todd later landed a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster to publish the novels in the After series, all of which were published in 2014. In the published version, the lead male character's name was changed from Harry Styles to Hardin Scott. The books gained media attention and became a New York Times bestseller.
In 2014, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to adapt After for film. Susan McMartin was screenwriter for the project until mid-2017, after which the film production rights for the novel to Paramount Pictures were discontinued. CalMaple Media and Offspring Entertainment then acquired rights to the adaptation, with writer Tamara Chestna hired to rework McMartin's script, and Director Jenny Gage overseeing the script's final revisions.
Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon of CalMaple Media, Jennifer Gibgot of Offspring Entertainment, author Anna Todd, Aron Levitz of Wattpad, Meadow Williams of Diamond Film Productions and Dennis Pelino were all producers on the film. CalMaple, Voltage Pictures and Diamond Film Productions financed the film. Swen Temmel, Nicolas Charier, Jonathan Deckter, David Dinerstein, Jason Resnick, Scott Karol, Ian Brereton, Eric Lehrman, Adam Shankman, Brian Pitt and Vassal Benford are Executive Producers. Aviron Pictures distributed the film domestically, with Voltage Pictures handling foreign distribution.
Casting
On May 8, 2018, Julia Goldani Telles and Hero Fiennes Tiffin were cast in the main roles of Tessa Young and Hardin Scott respectively. The actors were cast by the production team, including Todd herself, who was present at the castings and contributed to the casting decisions.In July 2018, Telles announced her exit from the film due to scheduling conflicts. In the same month, Josephine Langford was cast as Tessa Young. Todd would later state that once she saw Langford, she "knew right away that was Tessa". Pia Mia was cast in the role of Tristan, a previously male role in the books. Executive producer Swen Temmel was cast as Jace. Shane Paul McGhie and Khadijha Red Thunder were cast as Landon Gibson and Steph Jones respectively; Samuel Larsen played Zed Evans, and Inanna Sarkis played Molly Samuels. Additionally, Meadow Williams was cast as Professor Soto, another previously male character in the books. On July 27, Peter Gallagher and Jennifer Beals were cast as Ken Scott and Karen Gibson, Hardin's father and Landon's mother. On July 30, Selma Blair and Dylan Arnold were cast as Carol Young, Tessa's mother, and Noah Porter, Tessa's high school boyfriend.
Filming
was due to begin filming in June 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. In early July, producer Jennifer Gibgot confirmed that shooting would begin on July 16, 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia shortly after Langford had been cast as Tessa. Principle photography was mainly conducted at Emory University, and production was completed on August 24 of the same year.Release
After was released in the United States on April 12, 2019, by Aviron Pictures.Box office
After has grossed $12.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $55.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $67.2 million, against a production budget of $14 million.In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Hellboy, Little and Missing Link, and was projected to gross anywhere from $3–12 million from 2,138 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $2.9 million on its first day, including $550,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $6.0 million, finishing eighth at the box office. In its second weekend the film dropped 58% to $2.5 million, finishing 11th.
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 19% based on 36 reviews with an average rating of 3.57/10. The site's critical consensus reads "Tepid and tired, After's fun flourishes are let down by its generic story." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars.Critics found the screenplay at fault, with Owen Gleiberman of Variety writing that After was an "innocuous teen pulp soap opera that flirts with 'danger' but, in fact, keeps surprising you with how mild and safe and predictable it turns out to be." John Fink of The Film Stage echoed this sentiment, commenting that "the talented cast is burdened by a dead on arrival screenplay that waters down what could have been an intoxicating tale of first love", though he noted the movie was "beautifully shot" and "occasionally aesthetically pleasing".