This month, Criterion has prepared brand-new editions of films from Hirokazu Kore-eda, D. A. Pennebaker, Andrzej Wajda, and Cary Joji Fukunaga. Bookending the August slate is Kore-eda‘s 1998 masterpiece After Life and Fukunaga‘s 2015 war drama Beasts of No Nation, both of which were provided to me for review. The two are outstanding additions to Criterion’s continuously growing library of important classic and contemporary films, deeply impactful in a myriad of ways and emotionally puncturing.
After Life
Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s After Life is his second film to be added to the Collection (after his 2008 drama Still Walking) and its addition could not be more deserved. It’s incredibly rare that I see a film as enrapturing and poignant as After Life, but Kore-eda‘s examination of the intersection between life, death, and memory is one of cinema’s finest explorations of the ambiguity that arises when our lives come to an end.
Charting a week in a limbo realm between life and death where the deceased are asked to select a memory, one which will be cinematically recreated and taken with them to the afterlife, Kore-eda‘s masterwork is a moving ode to the people, places, and moments that shape our lives.
Video and Audio
For this edition, After Life is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:66:1 with a new 2K digital restoration approved by Kore-eda himself. As noted in the release’s “About the Transfer” section, the restoration was created in 2K at IMAGICA Lab in Tokyo, from a 35mm duplicate negative made from the original Super 16mm negative. After Life‘s narrative is influenced heavily by the atmosphere of the realm in which the film takes place, comforting and lonely in equal measure, and the new transfer for this release outlines the nuances in every frame with perfect clarity. Color is particularly notable with deep grays and blues highlighted throughout.
The film’s original monaural soundtrack was also given a boost for this transfer, remastered from the digital master audio files. For a primarily dialogue-driven experience like After Life, the remaster does wonders and accompanies the gorgeous cinematography by Yukata Yamazaki and Masayoshi Sukita to root the viewer even further into this strange, beautiful world.
Special Features
After Life arrives with a sturdy assortment of supplemental features, including:
- Commentary: Recorded for the Criterion Collection in 2021, this audio commentary features Linda C. Ehrlich, PhD, author of The Films of Kore-eda Hirokazu: An Elemental Cinema.
- Hirokazu Kore-eda: This interview with writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda was recorded by the Criterion Collection in Seoul, South Korea, in 2021.
- Yutaka Yamazaki: This interview with director of photography Yutaka Yamazaki was recorded by the Criterion Collection in Tokyo in 2021.
- Masayoshi Sukita: This interview with photography rand cinematographer Masayoshi Sukita was recorded by the Criterion Collection in Tokyo in 2021.
- Treasure of Memory: The following program presents scenes that were deleted from After Life.
Also included is an essay by novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen titled “In Memoriam”.
Beasts of No Nation
Also arriving this month is Beasts of No Nation, written, directed and shot by Cary Joji Fukunaga, also known for directing the first season HBO’s True Detective. Fukunaga‘s film is a scorchingly powerful and devastating depiction of violent conflict through the eyes of a young child named Agu, played to perfection by Abraham Attah. After premiering at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival in 2015, Attah was awarded the Marcello Mastroianni Award for his performance and the film later debuted on Netflix (making it the fourth Netflix original to enter the Collection).
Beasts of No Nation is a truly harrowing cinematic experience. Fukunaga‘s ability to transpose the viewer’s consciousness into such a devastating narrative is incredible and it’s all brought together by the haunting central performances by Attah and Idris Elba. Visceral and heartbreaking in equal measure, Fukunaga‘s film is a terrific examination of wartime indoctrination that cuts deep into your soul and never leaves.
Video and Audio
For this edition, Beasts of No Nation is presented in a 2K digital master in its original aspect ratio of 2:39:1. Shot on an Arri Alexa camera, the film was completed in a fully digital workflow with color timing supervised by Fukunaga. As is the case with all previous Criterion releases of Netflix films, the port from streaming to disc looks absolutely spectacular with numerous layers of texture and detail. Images are lush with vibrancy and color without feeling oversaturated, with environmental landscapes, in particular, standing out.
This release was provided with a 5.1 surround soundtrack, remastered from the original digital audio master files using Avid’s Pro Tools. It’s a bold, rigid audio track that works in tandem with the visuals to demand the viewer’s attention at every turn. Criterion’s output of Netflix originals continues to grow stronger and if this and its predecessors are any indications, any future releases will be just as fantastic.
Special Features:
Included on this disc are a plethora of terrific supplements, listed below:
- Commentary: This commentary, recorded in 2021, features director Cary Joji Fukunaga and first assistant director Jon Mallard.
- Passion Project: The following documentary was made for the Criterion Collection in 2021 and features director Cary Joji Fukunaga; author Uzodinma Iweala; producers Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, and Riva Marker; and actors Abraham Attah and Idris Elba.
- Cary Joji Fukunaga and Franklin Leonard: In the following conversation, recorded for the Criterion Collection in 2021, director Cary Joji Fukunaga discusses Beasts of No Nation, his career, his artistry, and the challenges of representation in filmmaking with film and television producer and cultural critic Franklin Leonard, founder of the influential annual screenwriting survey the Black List.
- Costume Design: Costume designer Jenny Eagan won a Costume Designers Guild Award for her work on Beasts of No Nation. In the following interview, recorded by the Criterion Collection in 2021, she discusses her research and designs for the film.
Additionally included is an essay by film critic Robert Daniels titled “A Different Kind of African War Film”.
Conclusion
Also arriving this month is D.A. Pennebaker‘s Original Cast Album: “Company” and Andrzej Wajda‘s Ashes and Diamonds, both newly restored in 4K. Wajda‘s 1958 war drama follows a Polish assassin’s moral conflict after being ordered to kill a Russian commissar, while Pennebaker‘s 1970 documentary goes behind the scenes of the cast album recording for Stephen Sondheim‘s Company.
After Life and Beasts of No Nation are both magnificent additions to the Criterion Collection, two cinematic accomplishments given editions worthy of their phenomenal quality. Criterion continues their streak of giving Netflix originals a home on physical media and it’s certainly not the last we’ll see of them under the company’s label.
Beasts of No Nation will be released on Blu-Ray on August 31, and After Life was released on August 10, courtesy of Criterion.
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