After (2019)
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A young woman begins to romance a mysterious student during her first months of college.
The story
Tessa Young begins her first year of college by moving into her dorm room with the help of her mother, Carol, and her boyfriend, Noah. During this process she meets her new roommate Steph and her girlfriend Tristan. The day after, Tessa shares a brief encounter with Steph's friend, Hardin Scott. The following day Steph persuades Tessa to attend a party where she meets other friends and encounters Hardin for the second time. Amidst the social atmosphere of the party, a game of truth or dare leads to a tense moment between Tessa and Hardin, who is a mysterious and enigmatic student.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Tessa Young begins her first year of college and meets a mysterious student, Hardin Scott. After a series of encounters, including a party where they play truth or dare, the two share a kiss at a lake. Despite having a boyfriend, Noah, Tessa finds herself drawn to Hardin. After a physical confrontation between Hardin and another student, and a night where Hardin destroys a house in a drunken rage, Tessa comforts him. Her relationship with Noah ends when he discovers she stayed the night with Hardin. Tessa and Hardin begin dating, despite her mother's disapproval. They move into an apartment together, where she eventually loses her virginity to him. However, a conflict arises when Tessa discovers Hardin's past behavior; he had initially pursued her as a challenge. This leads to a breakup. After reconciling with her family and cutting ties with her friends, Tessa receives a letter from Hardin confessing his love. She returns to the lake to meet him.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jenny Gage
- Writers
- Susan McMartin · screenplay; Tamara Chestna · screenplay; Jenny Gage · screenplay; Tom Betterton · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Hero Fiennes Tiffin · Hardin Scott; Josephine Langford · Tessa Young; Selma Blair · Carol Young; Inanna Sarkis · Molly Samuels; Shane Paul McGhie · Landon Gibson; Pia Mia · Tristan; Khadijha Red Thunder · Steph Jones; Dylan Arnold · Noah Porter; Samuel Larsen · Zed Evans; Jennifer Beals · Karen Gibson; Peter Gallagher · Ken Scott
- Genres
- romantic drama
- Themes
- first love; abusive relationships
- Tone and mood
- romance; drama
- Premise and plot tags
- college life; romance; young adult
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2014 novel of the same name by Anna Todd
- Franchise connections
- After film series
- Content notes
- abusive relationships
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success despite receiving negative reviews from critics who criticized its screenplay and the portrayal of abusive relationships.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 30 · scale: 100; PostTrak · score: 2.5 · scale: 5
- Awards and nominations
- Teen Choice Award · Choice Drama Movie · 2019 · win
- Production trivia
- The original story was a fanfiction on Wattpad with over 544 million reads.; The film was released in Latin America ahead of its North American release.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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