Now & Later

Tim Rhys of "MovieMaker Magazine", made a wager that you could bring this movie home to your wife, because of its "generous portion of thought-provoking subject matter, while you enjoy a free serving of kink on the side". His throw-away recommendation is not far off the mark but the film is a lot bigger than that. Rhys went on, "... if you happen to be trying to bed some lovely, left-leaning co-ed sooner rather than later, you will not find a more ideal date movie than NOW & LATER". I don't know... maybe Malkovich and Close in "Dangerous Liaisons" would do the same job, with costumes and oodles of style, but "NOW & LATER" certainly hits a new high for, let's say, independent films that include graphic sex. It's a mature and a very hot film. It's political dynamite for anyone who only watches mainstream news; it's a wake-up experience, not a go to sleep one. I find that's getting rarer. There's no kick in the teeth from this film's message though; merely a hand inside the underpants, stimulation of the brain via the groin. The perpetration of violence, leastwise in its usual brackets, is far from this script, though the effects of societal violence on everyday life and people is seen from beginning to end of this remarkable film.It is not quite "uninhibited sexuality taken to a new level", as the DVD cover art boasts, though it is way more explicit than 99.9% of other mainstream movies that have use sex to sell themselves, e.g. Sharon "Basic Instinct" - that film is like a rosary prayer meeting in comparison of depictions of sex. However, there are still one or two times in NOW & LATER where you feel someone said 'we'd better not show that'. There are certain things that never stay hidden in the world of porn, for example, obviously stimulated female sex organs (trying to be careful with my word choice as Amz tend to censor reviews with certain words) and clear view coitus. These you will not get in Now & Later. Whereas there are plenty of phallic triumphs, and there is clear and close-up fellatio, and there is also plenty of onanism, it is not explicit. For example, 'dry', or 'closed' sexual organs do not suggest genuine excitement, do they? These things are not the fault of the film-maker, nor the actors, I imagine, but rather the demands of others' legal obligations, perhaps.However, you will still see more graphic sex in this than in just about any other non-"porn" flick lately. Although "Shortbus" has certain, more graphic depictions, that film feels so light-weight in comparison. NOW & LATER has SO much more too: great character development, fine acting, a sublime story, which introduces crucial hidden news topics, and the suppression of sexuality in a society obsessed with violence. It's also a goody-bag full of visual pleasures - and lots of sex too!NOW & LATER is a masterpiece!

This film is well worth watching. The story is different from the norm, a man in hiding from the law who is not really a criminal as such and a free spirited girl with quiet attitude. She hides him while he is waiting to leave the country. I won't spoil the story so watch the film. The picture quality is high. I wanted the full film unedited so I got the US import in NTSC, it has the deleted scenes that are not part of the main film.

The story takes place over several days in a rather run-down area of Los Angeles. Shari Solanis plays Now, a free-spirited woman from Mexico who invites an escaped felon, Later, played by James Wortham to move into her apartment. The two characters are cleverly juxtaposed. Now has escaped the poverty of Central America and despite her vilification of American foreign policy,sees the USA as the best hope for her future, whilst Later who benefitted from American free enterprise, lost it all and sees Central America as his best hope. The problen with the film though is that while Now voices her opinion about the shortcomings and corruption of the USA, Later takes it all without so much as a murmur. Mind you, any man sharing a bed with hot stuff like Shari Solanis probably wouldn't rock the boat either. The film contains explicit sex scenes and so is not for the easily offended, but it is a very honest film in that respect.On the technical side, the DVD is region 1, but I have found that it plays OK on my UK Blu-ray player (Toshiba BDX1250KB). The extras include an extended sex scene and interviews with the actors.

A courageous movie and actors' team, but well done and well acted without falling into the pornographic domain.

Fantastic film would recommend this to anyone to buy

Very interesting dialogue makes it to a indie-winner

very bad not interesting at all

I wish all of the actors, actresses, and those involved with the making of Now & Later happiness, fulfillment, and success in life. However, the film had some glaring pros and cons that influenced me to rate this film only one star:The pros: The character Angela speaks about her parents and country of origin in a proud and regal manner. She is actually at her best (acting wise) when engaged in political dialogue. The archetype of Bill comes out in the strongest manner when discussing the circumstances that led him to running from the law.The cons: There was a scene filled with potential involving Bill and his wife. The wife is trying to gain a sense of closure over what is going on. My spouse glanced over to watch me viewing the film and expressed that it appears that both the man and women appeared to be reading from the cue cards instead of expressing stronger concern about what is to happen between them. The scene could have been made even more powerful by having Bill express stronger empathy towards his wife's intensity.At least two things could have made the film more electrifying; 1)Re-enactment of the story where Bill mentions a few of the missions that were connected to his job and 2) At least one to two scenes briefly displaying events that directly impacted Angela's parents. However, Now & Later may be fine for those who do not mind graphic films sparse in adventure plots.