Synopsis
The final installment in director Lucas Belvaux's trilogy follows Pascal, a cop who sees a return to credibility in the capture of escaped convict Bruno--who in turn is harbored by Pascal's morphine-addicted wife Agnes. Pascal's already precarious ties to Agnes are strained further when he meets and falls for her fellow schoolteacher friend Cecile. With Pascal focused on Bruno and Cecile, Agnes is forced to find a fix on her own.
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Cast
- Dominique BlancAgnès Manise
- Gilbert MelkiPascal Manise
- Ornella MutiCécile Rivet
- Catherine FrotJeanne Coste
- François MorelAlain Costes
- Lucas BelvauxBruno Le Roux
- Jean-Baptiste MontagutHenri
- Bernard MazzinghiGeorges Colinet
- Patrick Descamps
- Yves Claessens
Recommendations
- 88
New York Daily News
We're treated to two smashing performances from Morel and Blanc, and all of the mysteries raised before are satisfyingly resolved. - 83
Entertainment Weekly
Genre-hoppers like Steven Soderbergh ought to love this neat triple doozy. [Note: From a review of the entire trilogy.] - 80
The New Yorker
What we glean from Belvaux’s trilogy is the reassurance (rare on film, with its terror of inattention) that people are both important and unimportant, and that heroes and leading ladies, in life as in art, can fade into extras before our eyes. [Note: From a review of the entire trilogy.] [2 February 2004, p. 94] - 80
Village Voice
At its most contemplative, The Trilogy is a stirring and shrewd portrait of lives lived in oblivious parallel. [Note: From a review of the entire trilogy.] - 80
Variety
It certainly wraps the trilogy on a very powerful, emotionally draining note. It's refreshing to see the precision and audacity with which Belvaux and his excellent cast succeed in imbuing the increasingly familiar story with completely new angles, insights and nuances. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
The strongest film. - 63
New York Post
The very effectiveness of After the Life's depiction of its main characters makes its immediate predecessor seem that much more of a waste. - 60
The A.V. Club
Doesn't function nearly as well as a standalone piece, mainly because it's stuck with the thankless task of mopping up after the other two.
