Afterglow

Director: Alan Rudolph Alan Rudolph

Overview

When the lives of two unhappily married couples intertwine, the result is chaos. This convoluted, episodic comedy-drama from Robert Altman-protege and long-time associate Alan Rudolph follows their mutual journey. The union between Lucky "Fix-It" Mann (Nick Nolte) and his beautiful wife Phyllis (Julie Christie) has never been the same since the night their daughter overheard a particularly bitter argument between them and fled the house forever. A former low-budget movie actress, Phyllis is depressed and spends much of her time gazing wistfully at her old films and mooning over her happy past. She and Lucky haven't touched each other in ages. The same holds true for fast-track corporate executive Jeffrey Byron (Jonny Lee Miller and his wife Marianne (Lara Flynn Boyle). Marianne desperately wants children and needs affection, but the job-obsessed Jeffrey refuses to satisfy her. The two live in a fabulously appointed duplex. One day they hire a handyman to make routine repairs and in walks handsome Lucky. Marianne is instantly attracted to him and they begin a passionate affair. Meanwhile, Jeffrey meets the worldly Phyllis and they too begin an adulterous tango. The illicit love stories crisscross for a time but reach their denouement when all four accidentally meet in a posh Montreal hotel bar.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/19/2021
UPC:	0760137428299
Original Release:	1997
Rating:	R
Source:	Moonstone Entertainm
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:59:00
Sales rank:	50,598

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nick Nolte	Lucky Mann
Julie Christie	Phyllis Mann
Lara Flynn Boyle	Marianne Byron
Jonny Lee Miller	Jeffrey Byron
Jay Underwood	Donald Duncan
Domini Blythe	Helene Pelletier
Yves Corbeil	Bernard Ornay
Genevieve Bissonnette	Cassie
Alan Fawcett	Count Falco/Jack Dana
David Francis	Falco's Butler
Michele-Barbara Pelletier	Isabel Marino
France Castel	Gloria Marino
Claudia Besso	Monica Bloom
Ellen David	Judy the Waitress
Don Jordan	The Byrons' Concierge
Bill Rowat	Pedro
Cas Anvar	Frederico
Ivan Smith	Doctor
John Dunn-Hill	Derelict in Park
Warren 'Slim' Williams	Chateau Lenore Pianist
Jean-Francois Sauvageau	Chateau Lenore Singer
Bernard Tanguay	Maitre d'
Dave McKeown	Security Guard
Vanya Rose	Hotel Receptionist
Mark Camacho	Ritz-Carlton Bartender
Amy Kadawaki	Chinese Restaurant Hostess
Salvatore Agostino	Restaurant Owner

Technical Credits

Alan Rudolph	Director
Robert Altman	Producer
Willi Baer	Executive Producer
Dave McKeown	Stunts
Lucie Robitaille	Casting
Ernst Stroh	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

A comedy-drama about adultery and long-term marital affection, Alan Rudolph's Afterglow (1997) rises and falls on the strength of his cast. Replete with Rudolph's signature touches -- from the roving camera and long takes, to stylized sets and synchronic lives -- the story of de facto mate-swapping involving a young, upwardly mobile couple and an older handyman and faded B-movie actress ruminates on the myriad motives that compel the married to stray. Though Lara Flynn Boyle and Jonny Lee Miller were adjudged to be less than satisfying as the tightly wound younger couple, Nick Nolte's sympathetic Lothario, Lucky Mann, and particularly Julie Christie's haunted Phyllis Mann elevated the proceedings. Christie's luminously complex performance and mature beauty easily show how Phyllis can still outshine women half her age (quietly needling the Hollywood fascination with youth), while she masterfully reveals the unfathomable despair that has come to rule Phyllis' life. Even reviewers less than enthusiastic about Afterglow's tone shifts and ambiguities hailed Christie, and she went on to win numerous critics' awards and an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.