Content warning: suicide

In After Elena, it’s been a year since Elena passed away, and her widower, Roberto (Alfredo Castro) isn’t doing well. He misses her and the life they had together. He would rather join her than live without her. And he makes plans to do just that. 

Unfortunately, Roberto’s plans to take his life are scuppered when he’s woken up by a call telling him his son, the dentist Antonio (Guilherme Sepúlveda), has attempted suicide.

Roberto immediately takes Antonio in, and it isn’t long before they’re joined by Roberto’s other two children, failed actor Ignacio (Nicolás Zárate), influencer Maira (Carola Varleta), and her two children. 

If you thought having his children and grandchildren around him would make Roberto realise how rich his life is after Elena, you would be wrong. Roberto’s children are menaces — they’re useless and hopeless and some of them are more than happy to live off him. It isn’t long before Roberto is ousted from his bedroom, and his comfortable routines. Even his memories of his wife are altered by the return of his children. 

And that’s when the real issue crops up — money. Becuase it’s always money. Elena left her husband and children inheritances, and the children want their share. They’d also like their dad’s share but they’re not saying that. Too loudly. 

Can Roberto keep his peace and ensure his children are safe? Or will the absence in his life overwhelm him?

I watched this film after In Alaska, which also delved into suicide. When the opening scene of After Elena also opened with someone taking pills to kill himself, I had to steal myself for another tough viewing. 

But After Elena is more in the absurdist category of drama, than an all-out drama. It’s not laugh out loud but it is amusing. Which helps lighten the mood because Roberto is obviously struggling and he has nobody to share his struggles with. His children are too wrapped up in themselves. Even Roberto’s best friend isn’t really supportive — when he hears about Antonio’s suicide attempt, he expresses shock, even disdain, not empathy. How would he react to Roberto having done the same?

What worked for me in this film was that despite the more bizarre moments, the story is underlined by a tone of grief. Roberto was with his wife during her palliative care, during the toughest moments of her life, and her absence is a gaping hole in his continued existence. Football with his friends, his children and their peculiarities, even his granddaughter, who’s got some of her grandmother’s artistic skills, aren’t enough. He’s not just grieving the person who’s gone; he’s grieving all that he can no longer do with her. I found those moments of introspection so realistically portrayed.

Some of the absurdity of After Elena wasn’t to my taste. I get the desire to do something really out-there for shock value but, for me, when you’ve got part of the story grounded in a man’s grief, it became too over-the-top.

I also think the performances could have been stronger. There was nothing outstanding in the acting — the cast delivered the performances  needed by the film. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t like the ending. It was too abrupt. I’m not expecting a neat and tidy conclusion — family drama is never solved that way — but the film ends too ambiguously for my liking.

After Elena is an engaging film and, when it probes the realities of grief, it delivers a heartfelt story that will speak to a lot of people. While the absurdist parts add levity, I found them distracting, and could have done without some of them.

Stay tuned for more reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival 2026.