After Life
1998 · Movie · NR · 118 min · ★ 7.2 · 89% critics
In a modest office that feels like a way station between life and whatever comes next, newly arrived souls are interviewed by counselors and given a week to choose one memory to keep forever. As the staff helps recreate these moments, the process becomes a gentle, reflective look at what people value most about their lives.
Also known as Wonderful Life
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Details
- Original title
- ワンダフルライフ
- Years
- 1998
- Release date
- 1999-04-17
- Language
- Japanese
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Critic score
- 89/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.2/10 (278 votes)
- Box office
- $801,985
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you like quiet, reflective stories about memory and meaning, similar to Still Walking or Shoplifters; Not for you if you want fast pacing, big action, or clear-cut answers.
Pros: intriguing afterlife premise; moving personal stories; thoughtful, human warmth | Cons: very slow pace; repetitive interview structure; low-key, minimal thrills
Themes
- airplane
- grandparent grandchild relationship
- cloud
- heaven
- old man
- bell
- teenage girl
- memory
- videotape
- eternity
- disneyland
- remembrance
- +1 more
Cast & crew
Arata Iura
as Takashi Mochizuki
Erika Oda
as Shiori Satonaka
Susumu Terajima
as Satoru Kawashima
Takashi Naito
as Takuro Sugie
Kei Tani
as Kennosuke Nakamura
Kyōko Kagawa
as Kyoko Watanabe
Tōru Yuri
as Gisuke Shoda
Yūsuke Iseya
as Yusuke Iseya
Sayaka Yoshino
as Kana Yoshino
Kazuko Shirakawa
as Nobuko Amano
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda