The Aftermath, starring Martin Compston, has found a new streaming home on BBC iPlayer. Based on Rhidian Brook’s 2014 novel, the period drama is led by Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgård and Jason Clarke with James Kent directing.
Originally released in 2019, the film homes in on a complicated love triangle. Set in post-war Germany in 1945, when Rachael Morgan (Knightley) heads to a British occupation zone in Hamburg, she is reunited with her husband, Colonel Lewis Morgan (Clarke). As they struggle to reconnect after the death of their son, however, Rachael finds herself drawn to architect Stefan Lubert (Skarsgård), embarking on a life-changing affair.
Rounding out the cast, Compston, known for his long-running role in Line of Duty, takes on a supporting role, cast as Keith Burnham.
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Following its premiere, The Aftermath received a score of 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics penning mixed reviews. “The movie is both ridiculous and enjoyable,” wrote the Boston Globe.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Reader noted: “Knightley’s character is – hello! – more sympathetic and sensual than in the novel, while Clarke’s is more one-dimensional, to the point of caricature.”
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Praising The Aftermath, Empire Magazine argued: “The bones of the story have been played a million times, but a talented and committed cast make this swoonsome rather than samey.”
Likewise, the Daily Telegraph declared: “You may well enjoy this unusual love story: for its performances, its strong sense of time and place, and its vivid reminder that a war’s official end is never really anything of the kind.”
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In an interview with British Vogue, Knightley revealed what drew her to the project. “I’ve done a lot of World War Two films – and certainly I’ve seen many World War Two films – but I’ve never seen a film based in this exact period of time, in that post-conflict period,” she said.
“How on earth do you start to rebuild after something that seemed post-apocalyptic? How is it possible to see somebody that you’ve seen as an enemy, suddenly as a human being again? That’s a great triumph of that generation. I’ve never thought about it, and I thought that was extraordinary.”
The Aftermath is currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Megan is a freelance news reporter for Digital Spy.