M
Martin Scorsese’s screwball noir film from 1985 is now being re-released. It was originally seen as a departure from Scorsese’s typical style, and was a project he took on while his work on Last Temptation of Christ was on hold. However, over time, interest in After Hours has grown. The initially obvious humor and farce in the film have faded, leaving room for the unsettling and anxious moments to stand out. The film follows a series of awkward encounters and eerie coincidences that result in a haunting ending, set to Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?”. It can be seen as a lingering, ambiguous punchline, that leaves a surreal and uneasy feeling. Rather than a nightmare, it resembles a strange and unforgettable dream.
This work is a reflection of the 1980s and was categorized as part of the “yuppie disaster” genre. It portrays wealthy and egotistical white-collar individuals from New York City during the prosperity of the Reagan administration, who are ultimately punished for their arrogance by ending up in the wrong part of town. After Hours was often compared to Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild from 1986 and Tom Wolfe’s 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, which was poorly adapted into a film by Brian De Palma in 1990.
Paul, portrayed by Dunne, teaches office employees in Manhattan how to operate outdated software on their computer terminals. During a lesson, one of his students arrogantly expresses that mastering the software is unnecessary as he plans to leave and start his own publishing company. This causes Paul to lose interest in the conversation as he relates to the student’s desire for change. Later, Paul is engrossed in reading Henry Miller at a café and engages in a discussion with a captivating woman named Marcy, portrayed by Rosanna Arquette, who is sitting at the adjacent table.
In Marcy’s place, which she shares with sculptor Kiki (referred to as “sculptress” by Marcy), who is played by Linda Fiorentino, there is a 1980s-style giant, bohemian loft apartment that is surprisingly affordable. While Marcy is away, Paul playfully gives Kiki a neck massage and reveals a strange childhood memory. After a tonsillectomy, young Paul was placed in the adult burns ward and had to wear a blindfold to avoid being upset. This memory triggers a series of peculiar events in the real world that make Paul feel out of his depth. These events involve waitress Julie (Teri Garr), ice cream truck salesman Gail (Catherine O’Hara), and gloomy club regular June (Verna Bloom).
It requires a conscious effort to realize after the unique final sequence that this is not a happy ending. A person has passed away, and Paul shares some of the responsibility, although he cannot be entirely blamed. The deceased is completely forgotten as Scorsese tactfully redirects our focus to Paul’s exaggerated sense of victimization. What does this signify? The dreamlike unease has elements of Kafka’s style, which Scorsese intentionally incorporated, but the cynicism may bring to mind a dark Viennese comedy by Arthur Schnitzler (whose Traumnovelle was adapted to New York by Kubrick as Eyes Wide Shut). An odd yet impactful film.
Source: theguardian.com
