Samhi C.

skc5908@psu.edu

Features Editor

The first time I watched “After” was when it was first released in 2019. Me and two friends went to the theater and swooned over Hardin’s character while eating nachos. When I found out that the film was based on a Wattpad book, I was intrigued because at the time, I was obsessed with Wattpad. But when I found out the book was a Harry Styles fanfiction, I cringed. I thought I would hate the movie. Fanfictions get really bad really fast. But it was not bad. It was fun to watch. 

It was. 

And then the sequels came out. 

I think I got through “After We Collided”, the second film in the series, by pressing the right arrow on my keyboard and skipping several seconds in between scenes, hearing snippets here and there. I appreciated Dylan Sprouse’s presence in the second film and in fact, really did think Tessa should end up with him, leaving Hardin Scott behind. Because why would anyone want to remain in a toxic relationship that seems to be in a constant loop of deceit and a lack of mutual trust and vulnerability? 

After Sprouse’s exit, I will admit, I lost interest in the series.

I felt like if I did watch the rest of the series, it would probably be a rinse-repeat situation. I reminded myself, this was after all based on a Wattpad fanfiction, and since Wattpad means lack of regulation from a publisher or editor, it is possible it was not written to a certain standard and I figured the author, whose name I still do not know, was simply not creative enough. 

Even back in the summer, my friend and I were discussing how boring the series was and she affirmed that the third film, “After We Fell”, did in fact portray Hardin hurting Tessa again and her getting upset again. Apparently, though, my friend never finished the film. She got through less than halfway before giving up. 

Recently though, I stumbled upon “After” on Netflix and in a moment of “everything else seems boring right now”, I figured, even if only for the racy scenes between Tessa and Hardin, why not watch it? 

Except this time, I really paid attention. Maybe the years of literary study and close reading habits that have been instilled in me through my educators in the years between 2019 and now are what allowed me a new perspective. But there were symbols and metaphors left and right that suddenly jumped out and made sense. For example, Tessa starting out with a high school boyfriend and leaving him for Hardin is not just following some TV trope in which the female lead leaves a younger geeky guy for the older sexy one, but it is representative of her leaving behind her childhood and becoming, or at least wanting to become, an adult. Hardin taking her virginity also impresses upon us the same notion. 

By the end of watching the first film for the second time, I was hooked in a way that I was not hooked the first time. I watched “After” the second time with more interest, with more awareness of what a story is trying to say not only on the surface level but deep in its crevices. 

I decided that maybe I had been too harsh with the original writer and with the creators of the film adaptation. Maybe it was my own lack of wanting to read between the lines that hindered my enjoyment. So I went on to watch the second film. And the third, “After We Fell”. And the fourth, “After Ever Happy”. I watched long enough to see real development in both Hardin and Tessa as characters, even while their story remained in stasis, repeating a cycle of filtered communication, keeping secrets, and becoming resentful. 

But maybe that’s the point. 

This time around, I did not simply write off the rinse-and-repeat plot as a fault of the author. Because I heard something I did not hear the first time. When Tessa leaves for Seattle in the third film, Hardin finds her diary in which she writes how she is questioning their relationship because of the cycle of toxicity. She questions how many times a person should forgive their partner. Even Hardin, at times, in his own way, acknowledges the toxic habits they both have. This is in fact what leads him to distance himself from her, trying to protect her, only to realize that he inadvertently was abandoning her when she needed him the most. Tessa also makes a comment during the fourth film about how every time she and Hardin do make up, “it is over sex”, another toxic habit they cannot seem to overcome. 

“After” is a rinse-and-repeat plot but it is not for a lack of creativity. It is in fact for the sake of it. It is to show the world the realistic aspects of contemporary romance that often goes overlooked. “After” is not simply a young adult romance in which the characters are meant to be swept up by desire and ignore the warning signs of toxicity as the older romantics, from books like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Jane Eyre” which are referenced in the film series, do so. Instead, it is a story in which at first, yes, the toxicity is ignored, but the negative results are highlighted as problematic for a contemporary audience to understand why they should not be stuck in such relationships. Even if the characters are stuck, we, as the audience, do not have to be. 

I have yet to watch “After Everything”, the final film in the series, as it is not yet on Netflix but as soon as I can find it online, I plan on watching it and coming back to you with updates on my thoughts about the series. And in the meantime, if you have yet to watch the “After” series, I promise it is worth a watch.