After Fall, Winter

An Engrossing, But Flawed Film
Michael (played by Eric Schaeffer) is a middle aged author who has hit rock bottom - his latest novel is in the process of being rejected by a string of publishers and he is heavily in debt, depressed and suicidal. At the urging of a friend, he leaves New York City for a visit to Paris. Once in Paris, he meets and immediately falls for Sophie (played by Lizzie Brocheré), an alluring 20 something hospice counselor. Initially, Sophie rejects Michael's advances, but after she sees a vulnerability in his macho facade, she decides to give a relationship with him a chance.

As the relationship develops, each harbors an important secret -- Sophie moonlights at a second job as a dominatrix, while Michael frequents dominatrices, where he gets some satisfaction from being physically abused and verbally humiliated. The couple's failure to make these disclosures to each other has disastrous and disturbing consequences.

Much of the film is focused on dialogue...

Mature, Edgy, Challenging... Real.
It is difficult to capture the charm and wit that we all hope we have when we are dating. Let's face it, movies have been trying for years. Typically it is too sacchrine or just completely misses the realism mark. AFTER FALL, WINTER's strength is a tremendous script by writer/director/star, Eric Schaeffer. He is known for his dialogue and his approach to the realities of love / relationsips, and this film is a high water mark.

At times heartbreaking and at other times truly uncomfortable, I found myself both wanting to look away and unbelievably riveted. If you are a student of relationships... If you think the real stories about sexuality aren't told that often... If you like your stories told with a bit of edge and a large dose of realism... AFTER FALL, WINTER will not disappoint!

Recommended.

Spoiler-Heavy Review
I rented this movie because it was supposed to be a frank look at BDSM - the female lead is a dominatrix and the male lead is a guy who goes to dominatrixes whenever he's in a shame spiral, which appears to be constantly. Although this movie does depict some very realistic BDSM, it still falls back on the tired moral saw of portraying this lifestyle as overwhelmingly negative - right up to and including a demented dominatrix character who sets up dungeon in a grimy old warehouse and is perfectly willing to murder a client if he asks. As someone who's admitted publicly many times in the past that he's procured and enjoyed the services of these women, Eric Schaeffer does them a grave disservice with this repulsive idea - and with the idea that BDSM in and of itself is a strong enough dark force to rip these lovers apart the second it rears its head. Every time Eric Schaeffer's Michael experiences a setback - whether it be receiving word that yet another publisher has passed on his book...

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