After Life

cannot fully explain how much this film changed my life...  there were a lot of still shots of the characters up close, a lot of shots were just the deceased people positioned in the centre where the audience has the interviewer's perspective, giving a sort of documentary feel. which i think is the point, since i later found out that some of the scenes were real people's stories and the actual audition/interview footage, but even without knowing this, it felt very documentary-like and real, and somewhat calming and tender.  the usage of handheld shots of shiori really shows her inner turmoil and emotions. especially the scene where she walks along the road, and the camera zooms in from afar. it's also the only scene outside of the bubble of that liminal space of the deceased, and the handheld shots juxtaposes the rest, and just signals how the living world is filled with action and instability.  the still shots of the office, the snow, the chair, and basically everything going on, felt like this was just a common occurrence, but the snow and the muted colour palette made this felt like a dream, which i suppose can be one. it also plays into the liminal space aspect of the in-between of life and after life.  the pace was very slow, which was a choice that worked. the emotions were very subtle but not hard to pick up. the humour was surprising, and i genuinely liked it as it made the film less serious and more human. there was a tenderness to how the director and scriptwriter (i mean both are kore-eda..) treated every character and their stories.  this film gave me a lot to think about. do i have that moment i would choose when i do? if i don't what is the best option i'd choose rn? who would be in that memory? who's memory would i be in? would i choose, or would i decide not to choose?