After Love
Mary Hussain, who converted to Islam when she married and is now in her early 60s, lives quietly with her husband Ahmed. Following his unexpected death, she suddenly finds herself a widow. A day after the burial, she discovers that he had a secret life just twenty-one miles away from their Dover home, across the Channel in Calais. The shocking discovery compels her to go there to find out more.
This powerful story with a strong script and visuals touches the deepest strings of the viewer’s soul by promoting acceptance and non-attachment to pain through embracing one’s life regardless of the situation one ended up in, like the main character of the film did. Metaphoric use of nature is skilfully incorporated to reflect and foster the inner conflict of the protagonist as she follows her instinct and decides to address her sorrows rather than freeze them and let them ruin her from inside. She abandons jealousy for the good of understanding; she abandons a need to possess for the good of sharing; she abandons her grief for the good of moving on in life. The film advocates for mutual forgiveness and understanding, as both outer and inner conflicts bring the main characters to the reconciliation with each other, with the late husband/lover/father and with themselves. The topic of reconciliation regardless of diversity is crucial in the modern turbulent world, where humankind suffers devastating conflicts.