Short Film Review: The After

David Oyelowo delivers a powerhouse performance as Dayo, a workaholic executive whose world shifts irreversibly during what begins as an ordinary day with his daughter. When a near-miss with a speeding cyclist serves as an unexpected wake-up call, Dayo reconsiders skipping his daughter’s dance recital to prioritize family over work. This moment of clarity, however, becomes tragically short-lived when a violent robbery tears his family away from him, launching the film into its haunting exploration of loss.

“The After” operates as an intimate study of grief, built around the devastating truth that life pivots on singular moments, both beautiful and brutal. The film uses these pivotal instances as emotional anchors: his daughter’s invitation to dance and the cyclist encounter represent awakening and second chances, while a poorly-timed work call and the subsequent attack illustrate how quickly everything can unravel.

Within its economical 18-minute framework, the film charts Dayo’s progression through grief via his interactions with various rideshare passengers. While this compressed timeframe might seem insufficient for fully unpacking such profound loss, the cast ( led by Oyelowo’s extraordinary performance) transforms these limitations into strengths. Oyelowo’s portrayal is particularly remarkable, building to a devastating breakdown that resonates long after the credits roll.

The film’s enigmatic ending deliberately echoes “Inception’s” spinning top, presenting viewers with an interpretive choice rather than resolution. Whether Dayo has found a path through his grief or faces a darker conclusion remains intentionally ambiguous, transforming the audience into active participants in the narrative.

“The After” succeeds as both an emotional gut-punch and a meditation on resilience, proving that profound storytelling doesn’t require feature-length runtime. 7.5/10