Watch 'The After': 2024 Oscar-nominated short film exploring grief

In the realm of fiction, few topics are as universally resonant as love or grief. And Netflix has more than one offering in the department of grief, from Dan Levy’s Good Grief to the recently Oscar-nominated short film The After. 

Directed by Misan Harriman, The After is now available for streaming on Netflix. Clocking in at just 18 minutes, this film follows a shattered man ​​Dayo, portrayed by Selma and Silo actor David Oyelowo. He grapples with the devastating loss of his wife and daughter to a senseless act of violence. Seeking solace in the anonymity of his role as a ride-share driver, he becomes an unwitting witness to the joys, sorrows, and struggles of those he drives to their destinations.

The After is formulaic in its depiction of grief, with familiar tropes inhabiting its 18-odd minutes. But its minimalist approach to storytelling, as it eschews elaborate dialogues and flashy theatrics, turns this short into yet another cinematic vehicle to showcase the Emmy, Bafta, and Golden Globe-nominated Oyelowo’s acting chops.

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, moderated a screening of The After with Harriman and Oyelowo last year. Harriman, who built a career as a noted photographer before turning to filmmaking, mentioned in an interview with Netflix, “Cinema was my first love. I found joy, I found love, safety, solace, in cinema and VHS and Betamax videos in the earliest of days.”

Harriman continued, “I really didn’t think I deserved to have the opportunity to be a storyteller and was kind of programmed to just be happy to be able to consume great art…I am now confident enough to try and have a point of view as a filmmaker.”

While The After may not offer anything groundbreaking in terms of narrative innovation, it is an easy way to catch up on your Oscar watch list. The other films nominated in the ‘Best Live-Action Short Films’ category are Vincent René-Lortie’s Invincible, Nazrin Choudhury’s Red, White and Blue, Lasse Lyskjær Noer’s Knight of Fortune, and Wes Anderson’s ​​The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which is also available to stream on Netflix.

You can watch The After on Netflix and catch the trailer here: