Afterlife (2004)

This first feature from actress-turned-director Alison Peebles is a whimsical tale that tackles issues of euthanasia, terminal illness, family responsibility and Down's Syndrome children. Sound like a laugh? Well it is, actually. It would have been very easy for this Scottish answer to Rain Manto resort to maudlin and patronising tear-jerking. Instead it ekes both bittersweet humour and emotional resonance through affecting performances from an excellent cast.

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