It is not an easy question, the one lying at the core of Koreeda Hirokazu’s After Life (1998). It is the bittersweet and experimental title chosen as the third installment of Japan House London’s season of film screenings looking at the filmography of one of Japan’s most acclaimed contemporary directors.

The film portrays a group of recently deceased people being held in a dull, office-like limbo between the living and the dead, where they are given one week to choose their most cherished memory which will be reenacted on film for them to see before they move on to experience it for eternity, so that their soul can find solace in the next life.

Koreeda’s second feature and international breakthrough, After Life finds its driving force in the documentary-style approach to a fictional narrative: the story is shaped through interviews of several characters, much of which is real footage selected from the hundreds of Japanese people interviewed in preparation for the film. As the plot unfolds, what emerges is a reflection on remembrance and identity, as well as the ephemeral nature of the human experience.

The screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Duration: approx. 119 mins

Guests who are booked to attend the screening can also enjoy 10% off drinks at The Stand on their way in.