After Darkness is a 1985 Swiss-British psychological thriller film directed and written by Dominique Othenin-Girard and Sergio Guerraz. Starring John Hurt, Julian Sands and Victoria Abril, it follows a man who takes his brother out of psychiatric care after a suicide attempt. The film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and was later restored for a 2025 screening at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival.
Synopsis After his brother is released from a psychiatric clinic, Peter, an anthropology professor, moves into an apartment with him and tries to prevent another suicide attempt. His brother is troubled by dreams of a lost twin, and Peter gradually takes on aspects of the man he is trying to help. Their arrangement is disrupted by the arrival of one of Peter’s colleagues, a former lover who becomes interested in his brother.
Cast The cast includes:
John Hurt as Peter Julian Sands as Laurence Victoria Abril as Pascale Pamela Salem as Elisabeth William Jacques as Dr. Coles
Reception
Awards and nominations In 1985, After Darkness was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Critical response Filmdienst described After Darkness as a visually strong feature-film debut with a sensitively acted lead performance, while finding that its shifting, sometimes unclear narrative structure made it harder to follow. Pierre-Yves Walder, director of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, described the film as a compelling English-language psychological thriller with atmospheric photography. Le Temps described it as one of the most intriguing French-speaking Swiss films of the previous forty years, noting that the 1985 psychological suspense film had long remained out of view.
Festival screenings In 1985, the film was screened at the Locarno Film Festival and the Tokyo International Film Festival. In 2025, the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival presented a restored version of the film at Filmo’s initiative.
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