Afterschool (2009)

Set in an elite American East Coast boarding school, we are presented with the character of Robert, a teenager with all the hallmarks of puberty – angst, anger, and a penchant for, well, lets call it a “low-five”.  Robert is a fan of the film and video club at school (remember the peculiar camera guy in American Beauty?) and accidentally captures on camera an event that will change him and his peers forever.  What follows is Robert’s struggle to deal with his feelings, and ultimately the failure of the teachers to prepare their students for the pains of the real world.

Afterschool deals with a lot of different subjects.  Robert’s angst as a teenager and inability to fit in, the influence of pornography and the Internet on young people, drug abuse, sex, love, heartbreak, and voyeurism are all in there.  By dealing with so many issues Antonio Campos (Writer, Director, and Editor) can only examine each of them superficially, which is a shame.  I would have loved to know more about Robert’s (Ezra Miller) home life and his relationship with Amy, his film and video turned “tickle-tickle” partner.

Visually the film is at first intriguing, drawing the viewer in with close ups, internet video clips and handheld camera shots that are quirky and addictive.  Unfortunately, Campos’s addiction to this style is draining and it slows the film right down, to the point where I really did just want to see a normal camera shot.  The casting was good, but best described as “safe”.  Perhaps if a non-actor was cast in the lead role of Robert instead of the professional Ezra Miller it would have given the film the extra burst of excitement it needs.

There are some perfect moments of black comedy that are well executed, such as Robert’s outdoor bumping –ugly’s session with Amy, and Robert’s therapist delivers hilarious ice-breakers in the “Your Momma” joke format.  But Afterschool is not a comedy – it is a dark film that tries to do too much, and in doing so, merely scratches some uncomfortable surfaces.

Director: Antonio Campos
Starring: Ezra Miller, Jeremy White, Emory Cohen, Michael Stuhlbarg
Certificate: 18
Runtime: 100 minutes (approx.)
Special Features: Cell phone videos,Deleted scenes, Actor interviews, Promotional videos, Teacher interviews, Image gallery
Release date: 8 March 2010
RRP: £15.99

Jason Druker, Trainee, Addleshaw Goddard LPP