Afterschool

Name: Afterschool
Genre: Drama
Released: October 2, 2009
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 66

2009

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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6.2

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6.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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Afterschool

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: October 2, 2009

Summary: Robert is a young American student at an elite East Coast preparatory school. When he accidentally captures on camera the horrific death of two girls, he’s tasked with memorializing their lives in a film meant to help speed up the school's healing process. For some, this exercise only deepens the trauma…[IFC Films]

Director: Antonio Campos

Genre(s): Drama

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

Scott Tobias

Afterschool wears its many influences on its sleeve, but it’s very much a movie of the moment. The passing of time and the evolution of technology may give it an expiration date, but more likely, Campos’ film stands to be an essential document of what it was like to be a young person in the late ’00s. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

It's both a supremely controlled exercise in form and tone and an intriguing exploration of the ways new technology intersects with age-old questions of dominance, control and individuality, particularly in the school setting. Read full review

Rene Rodriguez

Campos, a cinematic disciple of Stanley Kubrick and latter-period Gus Van Sant, opts to let the movie do the talking for him. The fact that this is a film of few words only adds to its hypnotic, relentless pull. Read full review

J. Hoberman

Afterschool, the almost frighteningly accomplished first feature made by Antonio Campos when he was 24, is high school as horror show. Read full review

Kyle Smith

Though thin on story, the film shows poise and vision, using bleak cinema-realité techniques with chilling effect. Campos promises to be heard from again. Read full review

Empire Angie Errigo

Compelling performances and some stand-out scenes but this lacks the cohesive language of "Elephant," for example. Read full review

Nicolas Rapold

The public appetite for high-school high jinks may be limitless, but the pretentious camerawork and empty ideas of this feature-length mope yield little pleasure or insight. Read full review

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User Reviews

Sindri

Feb 17, 2011

Weighty and socially-critical - "Afterschool" tells the story of Robert, a student feeling out of place at an elite east coast preparatory school called Brighton where he spends large parts of his spare-time watching violent and pornographic video-clips on the internet while his roommateWeighty and socially-critical - "Afterschool" tells the story of Robert, a student feeling out of place at an elite east coast preparatory school called Brighton where he spends large parts of his spare-time watching violent and pornographic video-clips on the internet while his roommate Dave sells drugs. Robert get's in touch with his classmate Amy who has a positive effect on him, but one day he accidentally captures the death of two senior students with his video camera and things change.
Antonio Campos' feature film debut is a slow-paced and rigidly minimalistic social-drama with a recognizable narrative, which tactfully depicts the aftermath of a tragedy at a private secondary school. Continuously following the main character, surprisingly well acted by dÃ©butant Ezra Miller, Antonio Campos forms a sparse though in-depth character study filmed with repetitive close ups, flashbacks, in-zooming and low camera angels. "Afterschool" is a severe tale of overlooked teenage anxiety which intellectually examines themes like voyeurism, alienation, addiction, communication and guilt. It is also a shocking and uneasy portrayal of an emotionally estranged and mentally disturbed teenager darkened by guilt and shame. The quiet and short dialog and the long takes enhances the impending mood in this throughout stark independent thriller only contrasted by the bright colored imagery.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Lucastrike

Jan 17, 2015

One of the worst movies I've ever seen. Amateur footage, full of robotic performances and a storyline based on banalities of teenagers who don't have nothing good to do with their lives. A waste of time!

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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