After Life (1998)

In the mid-20th century, an unassuming social service office serves as an ethereal crossroads for souls journeying into the afterlife. Every Monday, the recently deceased check in, greeted by their otherworldly 'social workers' who guide them through a peculiar transition. Their task is as poignant as it is simple - to identify a single, cherished memory that will become their eternal heaven. The office, a nexus between life and afterlife, is abuzz with activity as its dedicated workers meticulously reconstruct and film these precious memories. By week's end, each soul is presented with a cinematic replica of their chosen moment, a private screening that serves as their final farewell before they vanish into the unknown, carrying only that memory into eternity. The narrative lens zooms in on two counselors, Takashi and Shiori. Takashi, burdened by his own past, is assigned to assist the elderly Ichiro in his memory selection. As they sift through the fragments of Ichiro's life, Takashi uncovers a haunting connection - Ichiro had wed Takashi's fiancée following his death during World War II. This unexpected revelation prompts Takashi and Shiori, who harbors a tender affection for him, to reevaluate their post-mortem existence. Simultaneously, young Shiori, an eighteen-year-old trainee, guides a teenage girl away from a cliched memory of Disneyland towards something more personal and meaningful. As the week unfolds, the counselors, each grappling with their own untold stories, face their own realities, while helping others choose the memory they will hold onto forever. "After Life" is a touching exploration of life, death, and memory, wrapped in a story that blurs the line between the mundane and the magical, the past and the present, the living and the dead.

After Life is a drama movie featuring Arata Iura.

After Life is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.