Excellent but underrated film

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The very idea of a movie that has no dialogue intrigued me from the start, and 'After the Apocalyse' does not disappoint. It is an innovative, beautiful tale of people trying to connect with each other after a devastating war--without the ability to speak. Yasuaki Nakajima does not shy away from the crasser aspects of post- apocalyptic living, yet he poignantly shows how people must depend on one another in order to survive. The actors demonstrate a terrific range of emotion and somehow, without voices, reveal their characters' distinct personalities. The use of sound is brilliant and Nakajima has a poetic eye. He proves that a lot can be said through very little.

Pretty nothing really happens in the movie. The interaction b/w the actors is very basic due to the context but their acting is basic too. The idea behind the movie related to the director's experience in Australia, where he spent some time as a total stranger trying to discover a world he didn't know and of which he didn't speak the language. But that's it, an interesting idea. Every scene is just stretched to its maximum. The directing was pushed to the limit of wondering if it is done in a pretentious arty way or if the director is just not good. On top of this, another good idea was the sound and music composed for the movie. All sounds were recorded afterward and added on. Another artifact if well directed could have been great, but again it feels pretentious, as the result is not very good.

Yasuaki Nakajima has done a masterful job of creating a knockout film from obviously limited resources, using a brilliantly executed sound design in place of dialogue and a set of locations that are perfect for his story line. His own acting in the film is also first-rate and I especially liked his scenes with the woman, as well as the excellent opening in which he emerges through a heavy metal door into the moaning wind of some earth-shattering disaster. Rather than spell out what has created the apocalypse, Nakajima wisely treats his film as an allegory -- e.g. if this were the aftermath of a nuclear bomb, wouldn't the survivors become ill with radiation poisoning? The film has added relevance at a time when some world leaders once again seem hell-bent on making war, ignoring its historical consequences. Congratulations on a terrific job.

It is mesmerizing to watch the interaction of the post apocalyptic survivors. With no dialogue, and reminiscent to the stylings of Jean-Jacques Annaud, we witness the stragglers of humanity and their will to survive. Through body language and primitive drawings we watch the story unfold and relationships form. One woman among four men evolves into tension and jealousy. We also witness love, loyalty and feasting. In spite of the horror that the world has become, the absolute need for companionship is paramount. The results give us hope for mankinds continued existence. A gritty, realistic portrayal of humanity in a new dawn. Great story telling set to a great score.