The Philippine Star

Ashes of war ignite searing love affair

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From the studio that brought award-winning films such as this year’s The

Favourite and unforgetta­ble hits such as 500 Days of Summer, Gifted and Little Miss

Sunshine comes an untold moment in history in The

Aftermath starring Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke and Alexander Skarsgård.

A searing love triangle in the midst of post-war, The Aftermath tails the end of the World War II, when in the late 1940s, control of Germany was divided among the British, the Americans, the Russians and the French. Their combined mission was to help rebuild the war-ravaged nation. The port city of Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city after Berlin, had suffered a devastatin­g five-day bombing raid by the Allied forces in 1943 that killed 100,000 people and caused the destructio­n of 6,200 acres. Millions of German citizens were either homeless or without food, fuel or other necessitie­s when the British arrived. After the cessation of hostilitie­s, the native population was barred from having any involvemen­t in running their own affairs.

It is under these circumstan­ces that Rachael Morgan travels from England to the ruins of Hamburg to be reunited with her husband Lewis, a British colonel charged with rebuilding the shattered city after the end of the second World War. As they set off for their new home, Rachael is stunned to discover that Lewis has made an unex- pected decision: the couple will be sharing their residence with its previous owners, the architect who designed the grand house, Stephan Lubert, and his troubled teenage daughter, Freda. The arrangemen­t makes Rachael deeply uncomforta­ble. She resents the presence of outsiders and she longs instead for time alone with Lewis to help heal the wounds that have taken a toll on their marriage. But the charged atmosphere soon takes on a different tenor. As she begins to absorb the weight of what they, too, lost in the conflict, Rachael’s stance toward the Germans begins to soften, slowly, evidenced by small gestures. Slowly, the tension between Rachael and Lubert begins to take on a different dimension, as she begins to see him as a kindred injured spirit and finds herself drawn to him.

For Keira, an Academy-award nominee for her previous work in Pride and

Prejudice, The Aftermath is an intimate story about a woman who, having suffered a cataclysmi­c experience, finds a way to rebuild her life and move toward a more hopeful future. But it’s also a film with a larger message about the importance of forgivenes­s, compassion and the fundamenta­l need for human connection.

From Fox Searchligh­t/20th Century Fox, The Aftermath today exclusive at Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Cinemas – Newport, Eastwood, Venice, Uptown BGC, Southwoods, Lucky Chinatown and Festive Walk.

 ??  ?? Keira Knightley and Jason Clarke star in The Aftermath
Keira Knightley and Jason Clarke star in The Aftermath

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