After.Life (2009)

Schoolteacher Anna Taylor (Christina Ricci) and her partner (Justin Long) are failing to connect on an emotional level, as if some kind of unseen veil exists between them, a metaphorical screen that gets replaced by a white sheet on Eliot Deacon's (Liam Neeson) funeral home table.
I felt a similar kind of disconnect to the story; the emotional thread of the film, even with its attempts to take an indirect route, was unable to fully penetrate the muddled presentation. In its desire to be both a psychological thriller and a sophisticated chiller it unfortunately loses sight of both goals. And while at various stages I loved the colours used, the lighting, framing, and even the recurring blood motif, the balance of sombre and sinister never felt quite right, as if each one was being forced into corners that were in different buildings. But kudos to Ricci for doing what was required during the attempt.

2½ appropriate flowers out of 5