After Louie explores the contradictions of modern gay life and history through Sam, a man desperate to understand how he and his community got to where they are today.
... a valuable meditation on generational differences, particularly between gay men who lived through the worst years of the AIDS crisis and those who came of age afterward.
As an actor, [Zachary] Booth can't quite keep up with [Alan] Cumming, but Braeden is likable in ways that the cynical Sam is not, so it evens out in the end.
Its subject matter is interesting, and it's right to remind viewers of the need for different generations of queer people to communicate, but After Louie is burdened by narrative and dialogue clichés that undermine its emotional appeal.
While it's well-intentioned to a fault, and driven by deep convictions, the film also is diffuse, lethargically paced and short on thematic trenchancy, building powerful individual moments but seldom sustaining a compelling narrative thread.
But the film is overstuffed with messages that, while important, are imparted in a didactic fashion. At least Cumming's poignant turn as Sam helps the film over its rough moments.
