''In the Aftermath'' (also known as ''In the Aftermath: Angels Never Sleep'') is a 1988 independent film directed by

Carl Colpaert Carl-Jan Colpaert is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Carl-Jan Colpaert was born in Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium to father Roger Colpaert, who was a member of the executive committee at Bekaert and his mothe ...

, and released by

New World International New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 197 ...

. The film is notable for being loosely based on, as well as using footage of, Mamoru Oshii's 1985

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

, ''

Angel's Egg is a Japanese art film original video animation (OVA) written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. Released by Tokuma Shoten on 15 December 1985, the film was a collaboration between artist Yoshitaka Amano and Oshii. It features very little spoken di ...

.''

Plot

An angel nursing a large egg is sent to an irradiated earth, with orders to see if mankind can be saved. On earth, two surviving soldiers, Frank and Goose, scavenge for supplies, oxygen, and water. The two become injured during a confrontation with a scavenger, and Goose is shot and killed. As Frank struggles to survive, the angel appears to him in a vision, as she grapples with the consequences of using her power to rescue a human race that may not deserve to be saved.

Production

''In the Aftermath'' was shot on a low budget, and used live-action segments in order to pair it with footage from ''Angel's Egg'', which the studio acquired in a distribution bundle, and ended up paying very little for the rights to."Apocalypse Then - Interview with Tony Markes" ''Featurettes, In The Aftermath'', Arrow video, 2019"The Path to Aftermath - Interview With Producer Tom Dugan." ''Featurettes. In The Aftermath'', Arrow Video, 2019 Neither director Colpaert nor producer Tom Dugan understood the original film, calling it "incomprehensible," and opted to shoot live-action segments in order for it to make more sense to audiences. The crew and actors working on the live-action segments had no idea how their footage would be cut with, and were given very little direction. The live-action portions of the film were shot at the abandoned

Kaiser Steel Kaiser Steel was a steel mill near Fontana, California, founded by Henry J. Kaiser on December 1, 1941. The plant's first blast furnace, "Bess No. 1" (named after Kaiser's wife) was fired up on December 30, 1942, and the first steel plate was pr ...

mill in

Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It is now a regional h ...

Release

Despite the film being made to play off of the success of VHS and

video rentals A video rental shop/store is a physical retail business that rents home videos such as movies, prerecorded TV shows, video game discs and other media content. Typically, a rental shop conducts business with customers under conditions and terms ...

, the film was only ever released on video in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1988. ''In the Aftermath'' also had a limited theatrical run in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in 1988. In 2019, ''In the Aftermath'' was released on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

with a new 2K scan by

Arrow Video An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ca ...

References

{{reflist 1980s science fiction films 1988 independent films Alternative versions of films American films with live action and animation American post-apocalyptic films New World Pictures films