In "After This Death," a film by Argentine writer-director Lucio Castro, the story of an intense romance that morphs into a psychological mystery is told with intricate detail and unexpected moments of humor. The film follows Isabel, a conflicted Argentine voiceover artist living in rural upstate New York with her American husband. Isabel's life changes dramatically when she meets Elliott, the frontman of a rock band with a potent charisma and irresistible allure. This encounter prompts an tumultuous affair that is abruptly halted after Isabel suffers a stillbirth.
The film shifts into the realm of the supernatural when Elliott mysteriously disappears, triggering an eerie fixation on Isabel from his obsessive fanbase. They eagerly anticipate the band's pending final album, translating their anxiety and eagerness into harassment towards Isabel. Castro's narrative cunningly utilizes the digital age's rampant scrutiny and fan theories, creating an atmosphere of escalating dread. However, the film might reveal its suspenseful intentions a tad earlier through a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo."
The film's gripping storyline meets the realism of the band's music, composed by Robert Lambardo, violin string harmonics, robust acoustic sounds, and muffled industrial noise. Contrasted with this heavy soundscape, Yegang Yoo's ethereal score serves as a lighter auditory counterpoint.
Finally, these contradictory soundscapes collide, leading to an emotionally rewarding reconciliation. Beneath the veil of baffling mystery in "After This Death," there's a sincere homage to the artistry and its creation, for personal catharsis or as a means of communicative expression with an entity, either of this planet or from the beyond.
