“This experimental film…insists on the need for poetry as a means of remembering and addressing trauma.”
— Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times
“There are poets, whose work is a combination of song, speech, sermon, and sometimes spit. Some process their connection to the Holocaust, those who survived and those who perished. In this film, poets talk about why and how they tell stories of incomprehensible inhumanity and loss, their faces and voices as gripping as any Hollywood luminary.”
— Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com
“AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence challenges the boundaries of traditional documentary filmmaking, fusing poetry with cinematic elements to explore the scars left by the Holocaust. Under Richard Kroehling’s direction, this ambitious project mixes reflective narratives with the hard-hitting realities of history. The cast, led by Melissa Leo, Géza Röhrig, and Bo Corre delivers each line of poetry with a raw intensity that captures the immense spectrum of human emotions tied to historical traumas…AFTER does more than revisit the horrors of the past; it invites the audience on a journey of healing.”
— Chris Jones, Overly Honest Reviews
“AFTER is not a documentary. Instead, it is a multi-modal art film comprised mainly of distinct performance pieces combining poetry recitation, acting and original music.”
— Renee Ghert-Zand, The Times of Israel
“The poems in AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence don’t shy away from tough universal emotions like sadness and anger or looking at adversities head-on...AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence is a provocative, enlightening and engrossing protest against hate.”
— NYC Movie Guru, Rotten Tomatoes
In this unique artistic film, the words of contemporary poets and poets who survived the Holocaust meet and address the importance and responsibility of art in response to the Holocaust.
— Jason Flatt, Hey Alma
“AFTER is a film that gives us a chance to cope. Maybe that is enough. Well, not enough, but it is still desperately needed!”
— Jay S. Jacobs, PopEntertainment.com
“Writer/director Richard Kroehling’s emotive performance piece, AFTER: Poetry Destroys Silence, speaks at a deeply moving level. There is a kind of artistic, almost spiritual communication going on which is intriguingly felt, making the work all the more captivating.”
— KPFK Film Club
“AFTER is a unique cinematic work. His [Richard Kroehling’s] approach was very avant-garde, experimental.”
— Eric Goldman, Jewish Cinémathèque with Géza Röhrig
“Kroehling’s masterful film couldn’t be more timely as so much of the planet lives/dies through death and destruction daily.”
— jamesweggreview.org
“A unique window onto the Holocaust. This contrapuntal film combines eloquent testimony on part of the poets with invaluable and devastating footage.”
— Molly Haskell, Film Critic
“The poetry and the cinematography are magnificent. AFTER is a work of art!”
— Michael Berenbaum, The President’s Commission on the Holocaust