A Dramatic Aftermath

A Dramatic Aftermath

Bruce Von Stiers

Emotions are often heightened and raw after a funeral. Especially if the dead person was a cop. And was murdered. That is the foundation of a short drama film titled After.

Michael Darcy and his daughter Annie return home after a funeral. The funeral was for a cop, Michael's son and Annie's brother. Michael himself is a cop, a detective. So, not only is Michael grieving the loss of a son, but he is also grieving the loss of a fellow police officer.

There is a subtle intensity in the grief that surrounds Annie and Michael. Annie seems to be handling things, whereas Michael seems to be overly distraught. A shared drink leads to a conversation where Michael talks about investigating the murder, even though he's not supposed to. He's pulled some strings and, informally, is looking into things.

Taking things a bit further, Michael reveals information he's uncovered and talks of vengeance and retribution. But as the cooler head, can Annie talk Michael out of something she knows he'll regret?

Timothy J. Cox starred as Michael. He also wrote the screenplay for the film and co-produced it. He has over one hundred fifty screen credits as an actor, a dozen as a producer and around ten as a screenwriter.

Beth Metcalf starred as Annie. With over fifty screen credits as an actor and several more as a makeup artist, Beth is also a stuntwoman and a vocalist in a rock band.

The film was directed by Thomas Angeletti. He also co-produced the film. His screen credits include more than a dozen each as director and cinematographer.

Jake Reynolds was the director of photography. He has over thirty screen credits as either a cinematographer or director of photography.

After does a fantastic job of providing a tense psychological drama. Does common sense prevail over a desire for vengeance? Does a desire for retribution outweigh the rule of law and order? Those questions are essential elements of the storyline. Both Metcalf and Cox do an excellent job of making their characters seem real, with laid bare, raw emotions.

After has been an official selection at several film festivals, including the Bestlov Film Festival, APEX Film Awards and the Creative Creeds International Film Festival.

After can be viewed for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft3P3OaQIIc

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