Afterschool
Afterschool Image
See the trailer
Metascore
66 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Summary: Robert is a young American student at an elite East Coast preparatory school. When he accidentally captures on camera the horrific death of two girls, he’s tasked with memorializing their lives in a film meant to help speed up the school's healing process. For some, this exercise only deepenens the trauma…[IFC Films]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    91
    Afterschool wears its many influences on its sleeve, but it’s very much a movie of the moment. The passing of time and the evolution of technology may give it an expiration date, but more likely, Campos’ film stands to be an essential document of what it was like to be a young person in the late ’00s.
  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Deborah Young
    70
    This is a sophisticated stylistic exercise too rarefied for wide audiences, but earmarked for critical kudos.
  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: Angie Errigo
    60
    Compelling performances and some stand-out scenes but this lacks the cohesive language of "Elephant," for example.
  4. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Nicolas Rapold
    20
    The public appetite for high-school high jinks may be limitless, but the pretentious camerawork and empty ideas of this feature-length mope yield little pleasure or insight.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Sindri
    7
    Weighty and socially-critical - "Afterschool" tells the story of Robert, a student feeling out of place at an elite east coast preparatory school called Brighton where he spends large parts of his spare-time watching violent and pornographic video-clips on the internet while his roommate Dave sells drugs. Robert get's in touch with his classmate Amy who has a positive effect on him, but one day he accidentally captures the death of two senior students with his video camera and things change.
    Antonio Campos' feature film debut is a slow-paced and rigidly minimalistic social-drama with a recognizable narrative, which tactfully depicts the aftermath of a tragedy at a private secondary school. Continuously following the main character, surprisingly well acted by débutant Ezra Miller, Antonio Campos forms a sparse though in-depth character study filmed with repetitive close ups, flashbacks, in-zooming and low camera angels. "Afterschool" is a severe tale of overlooked teenage anxiety which intellectually examines themes like voyeurism, alienation, addiction, communication and guilt. It is also a shocking and uneasy portrayal of an emotionally estranged and mentally disturbed teenager darkened by guilt and shame. The quiet and short dialog and the long takes enhances the impending mood in this throughout stark independent thriller only contrasted by the bright colored imagery.    … Expand

Trailers

Current Movie Releases

Full List »
  1. Before Midnight
    Metascore: 95
  2. Star Trek Into Darkness
    Metascore: 72
  3. This Is the End
    Metascore: 68
  4. Iron Man 3
    Metascore: 62
  5. Fast & Furious 6
    Metascore: 61
  6. Man of Steel
    Metascore: 55
  7. The Great Gatsby
    Metascore: 55
  8. Epic
    Metascore: 52
  9. Peeples
    Metascore: 52
  10. Now You See Me
    Metascore: 50
  11. Pain & Gain
    Metascore: 44
  12. The Internship
    Metascore: 43
  13. The Purge
    Metascore: 41
  14. After Earth
    Metascore: 33
  15. The Hangover Part III
    Metascore: 30
  16. The Big Wedding
    Metascore: 28
  17. Scary Movie 5
    Metascore: 11
All Current Movies »