Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM
Plot: “A manager of an orphanage in Kolkata travels to New York to meet a benefactor.” -IMDB
Review: Personally, I’ve been fundraising in the nonprofit sector since 2007 and professionally since 2011. In many ways, I think it is the most challenging work I will ever do. Connecting people to the mission, stewarding the relationship, asking for the appropriate amount, and thanking properly are all a part of a cycle that never ends for a nonprofit organization; a cycle that has come to define my professional life. With this in mind, I stumbled across “After the Wedding” knowing it centered around an aid worker, Isabel, played by Michelle Williams, and a woman of means, Theresa, played by Julianne Moore. Isabel manages an orphanage in Kolkata and Theresa is thinking of funding it when a major secret is revealed. Given my professional background, this was enough to hook me.
Expecting the funding sooner rather than later, Isabel travels to New York to make an ask for support. For me, these scenes felt real. I’ve been in those offices sitting across from a wealthy person hoping for a yes. What happens next didn’t feel as real as the meeting is cut short and Isabel is invited to Theresa’s home to continue the conversation. Why was the meeting cut short? Theresa’s daughter is getting married and needs assistance with the planning. Sounds like the perfect time to invite a complete stranger into your home! But of course, this is no stranger. Isabel has a story and it involves a secret held by Theresa’s husband… Are you following this soap opera?
What happens next is a series of awkward twists and turns manufactured for the screen; none of which are easy to swallow. For their part, Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams are brilliant (as usual), but this script doesn’t give them a lot to play with since the strings tying all the characters together feel paper-thin. If you are anything like me, you will find this frustrating. Frustrating because the powers of Moore and Williams are beyond compare.
In the end, this film didn’t land for me and felt inauthentic. It seemed fine-tuned to elicit an emotional response from a passive movie-goer and not much else. The twists and turns seem layered upon each other to shock and not much else. For these reasons, I suggest you stream this one.
Be good to each other,
-Nathan
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