If you had to choose your single happiest memory, what would it be? In After Life the recently deceased are asked this question. Aided by guides who help them sift through their past, they are given three days to come up with an answer. Once a decision is reached, the guides recreate this happiest of memories and capture it on film, giving the deceased a very personal heaven they will enter for eternity.

With exquisite beauty, After Life shows us that while the memories people choose may seem simple, be it a first kiss or a last cigarette, their meaning lies in the sense they give of living in the moment and feeling truly and fully alive. And while these memories may seem simple, deciding upon them is no easy task. Using humor and compassion the 'guides' lead, urge and cajole their 'clients' to discover meaning and value in their past, for without a decision the dead will be stuck in limbo, forever recreating and filming the happiness of others.

Kore-eda Hirokazu's first feature "Maborosi" (95) has been widely acclaimed as one of the best films of the 1990's. After Life is an equally original, brilliant cinematic experience.

Kore-eda Hirokazu graduated from university with a degree in creative writing and began making television documentaries. His narrative feature debut "Maborosi" won him international acclaim. After Life is his second feature.