The After is an 18-minute short film about a man dealing with grief following a tragedy. The film is streaming on Netflix.
Plot summary
Dayo is walking down the road with his young daughter Laura by his side. He’s on an important work call when Laura drifts away from him and when he catches up to her, she asks him to dance.
She shows him the steps and together they bust a few moves before Dayo does a silly little dance for his daughter. He asks her if she wants him to come to her performance and she excitedly says yes.
He calls up his colleague to postpone a work meeting so that he can attend his daughter’s performance. A cyclist rides past almost knocking them down.
They meet up with Laura’s mother Amanda and Laura embraces her while sharing the news that Dayo will be staying a little longer. Dayo steps away for a moment after receiving a call and suddenly people behind him begin panicking and scattering.
He turns around to see a man with a knife covered in blood standing in front of Laura and Amanda. Dayo begs the man not to do anything, but it falls on deaf ears as the man lunges forward to stab Amanda.
She manages to avoid the knife but it strikes Laura and the man then throws Laura’s body over the edge. Dayo tackles the man down while calling out for his daughter.
Amanda sees her daughter over the edge and tries to go after her, falling to her death.
The After ending explained in detail:
What does Dayo do after the tragedy?
A whole year has passed and the man in the stabbing incident is convicted by a jury. Dayo is working as a ride-share driver and receives calls from his friends checking in on his well-being.
He has been ignoring the welfare checks from the crisis management department and spends his free time listening to saved voice messages of Amanda on his phone.
He drives all kinds of passengers all day, each with their own stories. Sometimes, their plight resonates with him on an emotional level but he just goes on with his day, trying to push on.
What happens on Laura’s birthday?
Dayo admires a picture of his family while singing “Happy Birthday” to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. He’s waiting in a parking lot when a couple approaches his vehicle since they have booked him for a ride home.
Along with them is their young daughter who reminds Dayo of Laura very much. The couple are influencers and are constantly bickering throughout their journey.
Dayo casts a sympathetic glance at the girl through his rearview mirror while her parents argue over trivial issues and barely notice that she’s there.
They finally reach home and the parents head to the front door while their daughter remains behind in the car. Dayo takes their stuff from the back and sets it down at their gate before turning back to ask the girl if she’d like to head inside.
She reluctantly gets out and walks toward the gate before stopping. She turns around and embraces Dayo from behind while her parents ask her to stop.
Dayo is overwhelmed with emotions and drops to the floor crying. The family heads inside while he lies there crying his heart out. After this momentary outpouring of grief, Dayo feels lighter and gets up.
He gets back into his car, appearing to have a slightly fresh perspective and the confidence to face whatever comes next.
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