After We Collided , the 2020 sequel to the teen drama phenomenon After , does exactly what its title promises. Picking up immediately after the explosive breakup of Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) and Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), the film doubles down on everything that made the first movie a guilty pleasure for millions: angsty monologues, slow-motion stares, explicit romance, and a relationship dynamic that continues to blur the line between passion and toxicity.
Fiennes Tiffin remains the franchise窶冱 anchor. He plays Hardin not as a villain, but as a wounded boy breaking things because he himself is broken. Langford, meanwhile, evolves Tessa from a naive virgin into a woman who chooses the storm. The problem is that her "empowerment" feels hollow; she threatens to leave, lists all the reasons Hardin is bad for her, and then jumps into bed with him. The film mistakes sexual chemistry for emotional maturity. To its credit, After We Collided is a massive upgrade in production value. The lighting is warmer, the soundtrack is packed with moody indie-pop (including tracks by Machine Gun Kelly and blackbear), and the intimate scenes are directed with more confidence. The chemistry between Langford and Fiennes Tiffin is genuinely electric. A library scene窶背here Hardin reads to Tessa from Wuthering Heights 窶琶s a callback that actually lands, connecting their story to the classic literary obsession they constantly reference. After We Collided
If you are looking for a model of healthy love, look elsewhere. But if you want two impossibly attractive people screaming at each other one minute and fogging up a shower the next, After We Collided hits the mark. Just don窶冲 mistake the collision for a connection. After We Collided , the 2020 sequel to
Dylan Sprouse also steals every scene he窶冱 in as the charming, sexually confident rival. He provides the audience with a constant, frustrating question: Why won窶冲 Tessa just pick him? After We Collided is not a good movie in the traditional critical sense. It is overly long (131 minutes), repetitive, and fundamentally uncomfortable with the implications of its own romance. However, as a piece of entertainment for its target audience, it delivers exactly what it promises. It is the cinematic equivalent of a guilty pleasure novel you hide under your pillow窶芭essy, addictive, and overheated. He plays Hardin not as a villain, but