After We Fell (2021)
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Tessa and Hardin's relationship faces severe strain as they navigate family secrets and career moves.
The story
Tessa and her boyfriend Hardin Scott bring Tessa's estranged, homeless father, Richard, into their apartment. While Tessa hopes to rebuild a relationship with him, Hardin remains distrustful. As Tessa prepares for a new job in Seattle, the couple faces friction over her move and the complexities of Hardin's family dynamics. The tension escalates during a weekend vacation at a lake house, where new acquaintances and past memories threaten to pull them apart.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a flashback, Carol Young kicks her husband Richard out of their house due to his alcoholism. In the present, Tessa and Hardin bring Richard into their apartment; Tessa wants to bond with him, but Hardin is hostile. While Tessa plans to move to Seattle for work at Vance Publishing, Hardin wants to move to London. After a series of arguments and a weekend at a lake house where Hardin meets an old friend Lillian, the couple faces a rift. Tessa briefly flirts with a waiter, and Hardin finds her journal detailing the pain of their relationship. They eventually reconcile, and Hardin takes up boxing. Later, Tessa learns she may never conceive due to a cervical issue. Hardin eventually attends his mother Trish's wedding in London with Tessa. During the trip, Hardin catches Trish having sex with the owner of Vance Publishing, Christian Vance. The following day, it is revealed that Vance is actually Hardin's real father, a revelation that shocks and infuriates Hardin.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Castille Landon
- Writers
- Sharon Soboil · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Josephine Langford · Tessa Young; Hero Fiennes Tiffin · Hardin Scott; Louise Lombard · Kimberley; Rob Estes · Ken; Arielle Kebbel · Karen; Chance Perdomo · Landon Gibson; Frances Turner · Carol Young; Kiana Madeira · Trish
- Genres
- romantic drama
- Themes
- Family dynamics; Relationship strain; Infidelity; Identity
- Tone and mood
- Melodramatic; Romantic
- Setting
- Seattle, London, and a lake house in the present day.
- Premise and plot tags
- Sequel; Romance; Young Adult; Based on a novel
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2014 novel of the same name by Anna Todd
- Franchise connections
- After film series
- Content notes
- Sex scenes
- Reception
- The film received criticism for its screenplay and acting, with some reviewers describing it as a 'filler episode' or 'yawn-inducing' due to its slow pace.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 0% · review count: 11
- Production trivia
- Filming took place back-to-back with its sequel, After Ever Happy, in Bulgaria in 2020.; Several characters were recast due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.; The film is the third installment in the After film series.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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