AFTER DEATH Producer Reveals Hope for Documentary: ‘Cathartic and Therapeutic’

Published: October 31, 2023

AFTER DEATH Producer Reveals Hope for Documentary: ‘Cathartic and Therapeutic’

By Movieguide® Contributor

AFTER DEATH’s producer is sharing what he hopes audiences take away from the documentary.

“This is a question I’ve asked most of my life,” Jens Jacob said of the movie’s central theme: what happens after we die?

He continued, “I’ve struggled with it…It wasn’t concrete to me to just believe. And so, yeah, I selfishly wanted to know, and I wanted to ask the questions for myself.”

Jacob shared that he wants viewers to leave AFTER DEATH with a new way of thinking about and processing death.

“It is very cathartic and therapeutic to be able to process death in this way, to be able to maybe see some of your questions on the screen and get some of them answered, or at least to ask the right questions,” he explained. “I found that that was something that’s been beautiful [to watch] as we’ve screened this now with hundreds of people, we hear that a lot.”

Jacob said, “I had a friend recently that just watched the film, and she says that she’s now less afraid of dying. And I thought that was so profound to hear.”

Director Stephen Gray also used AFTER DEATH to help him process death, specifically the loss of his brother-in-law.

“Life can be short,” he told Deadline. “My hope is that after watching AFTER DEATH, it causes audiences to reflect and consider all of the evidence. Movies have a unique ability to help shape culture and this film allows us all to explore what happens when we die. We want everyone to come away feeling valued with a renewed sense of hope, that their life has meaning.”

Gray elaborated in an interview with the Washington Examiner, saying, “I’ve found that there are a lot of people in this world who are hurting and searching for answers. I have a deep personal connection to the stories we’ve included in our film, which is why I’ve dedicated the past six-plus years of my life creating this in hopes that it becomes a beacon of hope for others. For skeptics, my hope is that this film opens the door to begin to ask important questions.”

A portion of the Movieguide® review for AFTER DEATH reads:

AFTER DEATH is a fascinating, inspiring look into the nature of thousands of near death experiences. It explores the scientific evidence, the encounters people have had, and how the experiences affected them and their lives afterwards. AFTER DEATH has wonderful special effects that help make it a cinematic experience. Best of all, however, it has a strong Christian worldview promoting hope, love, purpose, meaning, and life. It encourages viewers to stop and consider Eternity. It also tells viewers, “What we say and do really matters.”