Afterlife

Ambitious, cynical journalist Kenny (McKidd) doesn't have a lot going for him. On the verge of his biggest career break, he's called back home to look after his sister Roberta (Sage), who has Down's Syndrome, when their mum twists her ankle. She has another agenda too, a secret which will change everything. Give the director credit for tackling difficult material and daring to make Kenny so easy to dislike. That said, his film might have worked better if he'd been less determinedly self-centred. The domestic scenes work well, but his professional life (and a euthanasia subplot) is pretty unconvincing. Paula Sage is the real thing, though, and delivers a strong, funny, charismatic performance.