Follow along with Netflix’s third “after” series. PHOTO CREDIT: Netflix
“After We Fell,” the third installment of Netflix’s “After” movie series, was the worst installment yet. Warning: there are some spoilers contained in this article.
The movie was released on Sept. 1, 2021, but I didn’t get around to watching it until this January. While watching it, I found that the movie was extremely confusing and disappointing for fans of the first two movies.
I was interested in watching this movie because it is based on the “After” book series by Anna Todd, which was originally a Harry Styles fanfiction on Wattpad. While I never read the books, I read fanfiction in middle school and was a huge One Direction fan, so this was right up my alley.
The issue with the movie’s plot is that there is no plot. The story begins with Hardin, one of the main characters in the series, returning to America after going to England at the end of the second movie. Tessa, his girlfriend, is finishing school and gets offered a job in Seattle that she cannot pass up.
Hardin reacts by acting like a child and saying that he came back for her and that she has to pass up the opportunity because he doesn’t want to move to Seattle. What kind of boyfriend tells his girlfriend to pass up a huge opportunity because he doesn’t want to move?
Then, all of a sudden, Tessa’s father, who has been absent from her life for 15 years, reappears and asks to stay at her apartment for a few days. She agrees, much to the dismay of Hardin. Then, suddenly, Hardin and her father become friends and get a few drinks together at the bar (they’re both alcoholics) that winds up in a fight with random men over Tessa after one of them makes a sexual comment about a photo of her on Hardin’s phone.
Tessa and Hardin decide to go on a trip to their friend’s lake house for the weekend. While at a restaurant, Hardin runs into an old friend and begins talking to her, which makes Tessa jealous. In retaliation, she starts flirting with the waiter, which makes Hardin throw yet another fit and cause a scene in the restaurant.
Afterward, they go back to the house and proceed to have sex in the hot tub.
To keep it brief, this entire movie is Hardin throwing a fit for no reason and then the couple having sex. There is no solid plotline throughout the movie and the whole thing feels like pieces of different stories all stitched together to make one horrible movie.
Finally, Tessa decides to leave in the middle of the night to move to Seattle for her job. Go Tessa! We’re cheering for you girl! A few days into her stay, she texts Hardin saying she misses him. GIRL! BUT HE’S TOXIC!
Hardin, now the hero, decides that he’s going to move out to Seattle. After all of that trouble, now he’s ready to go. He is actually the most unlikeable character I’ve ever seen. There are no redeemable qualities about this man.
While in Seattle, the two have sex (shocker) and don’t use protection, sending Tessa to the doctor to make sure she isn’t pregnant. The doctor proceeds to tell her that there’s a chance she could be infertile, leaving her devastated. I was waiting for the point in the movie where she tells Hardin this news, but it NEVER COMES.
SHE’S INFERTILE AND DOESN’T EVEN TELL HER BOYFRIEND? They literally brushed over this massive plot point like it was nothing? This is what infuriated me more than anything in the entire movie. The fact that she wasn’t comfortable enough to tell him proves how awful their relationship is. This is a huge, emotional moment for her and she never tells her boyfriend.
Hardin is a perfect example of what not to look for in a man. His short temper and tendency to snap are worse than anything I’ve ever seen. Tessa deserves so much better. I wanted to scream at my laptop the whole time I was watching the movie.
Just when you think the movie couldn’t get any worse and more confusing, it does. I won’t spoil the ending, but something absolutely wild and ridiculous happens at the end when the two travel to England for Hardin’s mother’s wedding that leaves you confused and angry.
Overall, I am not looking forward to the fourth and final installment of this series. The terrible plotlines combined with mediocre acting at best is enough for me to not be invested in what happens next.