AFTER CANNES: "THE HERE AFTER" REVIEWS

May 21, 2015 marked the world premiere of The Here After (Polish title: Intruz), a film directed by Magnus von Horn and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival. The film was warmly received by the audience and by Polish and international film journalists alike.

The Cannes Premiere of The Here After

On May 21, 2015, the feature debut by director Magnus von Horn had its world premiere at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival. This Polish-Swedish co-production co-financed by the Polish Film Institute screened in the festival’s prestigious Directors’ Fortnight section, which in past years screened the early films of such directors as Martin Scorsese, Michael Haneke, and the Dardenne brothers.

The film was received by the audience with a standing ovation.

Following the premiere screening, both Polish and international media featured very enthusiastic reviews of the film.

Jonathan Romney – Screen Daily

“Von Horn’s psychological narrative is as starkly economical as you might expect from his pedigree, but he develops a distinctive take on the ‘less is more’ aesthetic in this story of a teenage outsider carrying the stigma of a terrible crime. Spare, controlled direction, a rewarding emotional payoff and a powerful performance by young lead Ulrik Munther […] should give The Here After a strong festival presence, as well as appeal for niche distributor,” we read in the The Here After review in Screen Daily.

“Von Horn and DoP Lukasz Zal (who previously worked on Pawlikowski’s Ida) establish a rigorous camera style that privileges distance and restraint, often shooting through doorways or through closed glass doors that obscure dialogue. They favour long takes, as in a scene shot at a distance through a car windshield; what might initially seem like a formal exercise in Haneke-like dramatic detachment ,” writes Jonathan Romney.

Stephen Dalton – The Hollywood Reporter

The Here After self-consciously draws on the visual grammar of classic, serious-minded, Euro-Scandi auteur cinema. […] Von Horn’s delivery is precise and thoughtful, showing clear promise for future projects,” we read in the review in The Hollywood Reporter

According to Stephen Dalton “There are echoes here of Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt, only this time with a protagonist who is inescapably guilty, and driven half mad by that terrible knowledge.”

Barbara Hollender – Rzeczpospolita

“Von Horn does not seek easy solutions. What’s fascinating about The Here After is the ambiguity of the situation. The audience supports the protagonist’s return to his old environment, but at the same time understands the people who pull away from him,” writes Barbara Hollender for Poland’s daily Rzeczpospolita in her review of The Here After.

Urszula Lipińska – Stopklatka

According to Urszula Lipińska of Stopklatka, “Polish cinema hasn’t seen a debut as coherent as this one in years. Magnus von Horn’s The Here After never falls into the trap of obviousness or set patterns, instead maintaining the secret of its protagonist and his deed throughout the film. There are no easy emotions because the subject itself, while difficult and seemingly isolated, touches upon universal observations.”

Krzysztof Kwiatkowski – Wprost

In the words of Wprost’s Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, “the screening of the Polish co-production The Here After was a success. The film was warmly received at the festival, screening in the prestigious Directors’ Fortnight section. Long applause and many congratulations following the screening.”

26.05.2015