AFTER ALL

(director: Kerstin Karlhuber; screenwriter: Jack Bryant; cinematographer: Pascal Combes-Knoke; editor: Samuel Butler, Melody London; music: Kelli Scar; cast: Erika Christansen (Ellen Sharpe), Penelope Ann Miller (Verna Sharpe), Kiara Muhammed (Haley Sharpe), Zach Gilford (Bobby), Austin P. McKenzie (Lenny), David James Elliott (Walter), Jennifer Griffen (Inez), Nicolle Elliott (Young Verna); Runtime: 104; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Dale Wade Davis, Kerstin Karlhuber, Tom Malloy, Christian Sosa, Joanne Zippel, Jon Wroblewski; RVM Picture Show/Brainstorm Media; 2025)

“Bleak and contrived message-driven melodrama.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Kerstin Karlhuber (“Fair Haven”) directs this low-budget slice-of-life dysfunctional family drama about how three generations (grandmother, mother, and teen-age daughter) of working-class women confront a troubled past, an uncertain present and a dubious future. It’s written by Jack Bryant, who bases it on the life experiences of Karlhuber. Flashbacks are creatively used to connect the adult women’s present with the past.

The uptight 40-something alcoholic Ellen Sharpe (Erika Christensen), from Austin, returns to her rural East Texas roots in Shelbyville to nurse her aging sick mother Verna (Penelope Ann Miller), who had a stroke and is in need of assistance. Verna was married to an abusive man with untreated schizophrenia (David James Elliott), who committed suicide. Ellen also tries to reconcile with her mixed race introverted teenage daughter Haley (Kiara Muhammad), who left home to live with her grandmother.

The heartfelt and low-key indie tells us an effort to heal the wounds is needed by the estranged family to make them whole again.

Country music, authentic rural locations, and a solid ensemble cast make this bleak and contrived message-driven melodrama touch us even if we grow impatient with its slack soap opera sob story.

REVIEWED ON 11/11/2025  GRADE: C+
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