Search

It's A Wonderful Afterlife (2010)

23 April 2010

synopsis
expand

From the team behind Bend it Like Beckham comes this year’s new romantic comedy, It’s A Wonderful Afterlife, which is out on April 23rd in the UK and Ireland.  Award-winning director, Gurinder Chadha, is back with an Indian mum whose match-making efforts turn deadly when she tries to marry off her daughter.

In this killer comedy, Mrs Sethi can't bear the thought of her daughter being alone and unhappy.  When she can no longer stomach the rudeness of families who refuse her daughter, she takes matters into her own hands with the only way she knows...  Suddenly a police hunt begins for a serial murderer who cooks a killer curry but will her daughter find love before the police come knocking on their door?  It's A Wonderful Afterlife is a comic feast which takes the phrase 'I could murder a curry' to hysterical new heights.

The international cast includes Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), BAFTA-nominated Zoë Wanamaker (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), Jimi Mistry (East Is East, The Guru, RocknRolla), BAFTA-nominated Sanjeev Bhaskar (‘The Kumars at No. 42’), Mark Addy (The Full Monty), the legendary Shabana Azmi (Fire, Godmother, Arth, Madame Sousatzka), Sendhil Ramamurthy (‘Heroes’) and Ray Panthaki (‘Eastenders’).  The film also reunites the cast of Bend it Like Beckham including Shaheen Khan (‘Britz’), Ash Varrez (Bhaji on the Beach) and Adlyn Ross (Shifty).

Building on Chadha's record for discovering new talent, the main lead is played by the newcomer, Goldy Notay who will next be seen in Sex and the City 2.

It’s A Wonderful Afterlife has been produced and directed by the BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated Chadha, who has also written the screenplay with her longstanding writing partner and husband, Paul Mayeda Berges.  Chadha's body of work, including Bhaji On The Beach, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Bride & Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham, has found her international acclaim and made her a popular household name around the world.

The film is coproduced by the AIM-listed The Indian Film Company (TIFC) and Bend It Films in association with Studio 18, India's leading motion picture company.
advertisement
expand
photographs
expand
fan ratings
expand

  No-one has rated this movie yet - be the first! You must be logged in to rate a movie.
our review
expand

"It's packed full of slapstick, pop culture references, and random jokes but unfortunately the film doesn't quite connect with this reviewer"

It’s a Wonderful Afterlife is the new film by Gurinder Chadha, director of Bend It Like Beckham.  It is a weird, black comedy about Indian women in London taking charge of their lives, couples’ need for honesty in their relationships, mothers’ responsibilities to their daughters, and... murderer!.

It's packed full of slapstick, pop culture references, and random jokes but unfortunately the film doesn't quite connect with this reviewer. The thought of marriage for its own sake simply doesn’t strike as especially imperative, and makes the whole driving force behind the plot seem somewhat trivial. Luckily, the performances from all of the actors in this film are all tremendously strong, and remain engaging even when the story seems spoofed and elementary. The unconditional love Mrs.Sethi is unquestionable, and it is completely clear that she would do anything to assure her daughter’s happiness. 

It pushes boundaries and is unbelievably over the top. Director, Chadha makes no attempt at subtlety in any regard; from the exposition of the plot via dialogue, to the makeup effects on the ghosts, even to the references to the films that inspired her as a filmmaker. In fact, there is a hysterical, if a little long, scene that is basically what would happen if the climax from Brian DePalma’s Carrie took place at an Indian wedding. With its high spiritual energy It's A Wonderful Afterlife is watchable from start to finish and I would recommend waiting for the end credits where you will see some amusing outtakes as the cast dance on set to 'Staying Alive - Bollywood style.
poster
expand
poster
buy poster
film information
expand
video media
expand