` afterlife be about a somewhat arrogant and reasonably wealthy man who discover that his mother be die and and find himself look after his sister and who have down syndrome . he can not be bother with her and and basically just want to get her off his hand while he have good thing to do . at one point he find that he have to take her and by car ( she doesn not like fly ) across the country . if that all sound familiar to you and it be probably because you have see ` rainman and a film far superior to it imitator and ` afterlife . that it copy the basic premise ( heck and it nick a few character and even scene too ) be not the fundamental problem with the film . the fundamental problem be that i do not care about these character . the brother and kenny ( kevin mckidd ) and be a bit of a womaniser . he have a girlfriend who come and go in the story and and who learn to like the down syndrome sister ( again and this be take from ` rainman ) . he be a journalist and try to get an interview with a doctor who be face a scandal . when he end up look after roberta and the sister and he doesn not have much time for her and and sometimes leave her alone for a little too long . when she wander off and he become even angry towards her . be i spoil anything by say that he become a nicer and love person by the end of the film . roberta be not determine to be normal while she be normal and and wish people would stop treat her differently . she be play by paula sage and an actress who do have down syndrome and and her performance be easily the best thing about the film while why do the screenwriter not explore her character more . well and probably because that would mean the character would get in the way of the story . when we surely already know the story anyway and do not the filmmaker see the problem they be create . for a film about a die mother and her handicapped daughter ( the father be absent while i think he be dead and but i be not sure ) and it be surprising how little impact the film have on the emotion of the viewer . the scene be perform in such a standard and dull way and with such standard and predictable dialogue and that i find myself roll my eye . i have nothing against sentimentality in film and but it only really work if you care about the character . here the character be so uninteresting and two dimensional that i do not really think there be much to care about . ` rain man have an emotional climax and but that move me and because i care about the character . talk of climax and this film have a stinker . there be sequence at the end of the film that start off a an unbelievable situation and end up in even bad territory while an unforgivably cruel trick be play on the audience . the sequence be design to move the audience and but end up be horribly manipulative and offend the intelligence of the viewer . audience aren not stupid and and they know when the film be cheat . what a cheap shot . there be not one scene in this film that have the impact it should . there be a few sequence that be funny and yes and but when the character talk to each other and i can practically see the screenplay in front of me and move predictably and uninterestingly and never hit anything that touch the mind or the heart . there be those phoney argument that be reserve especially for the movie and where the other character know exactly what the reply be . why do not supposedly realistic film not realise that and in real life and anger can be irrational and and sometimes people can not express their emotion and and they might say thing that do not make sense and or not be able to say anything at all . all of the actor in this film deserve good material . this film be not base on fact and but i think a documentary on a family with a down syndrome member would be much more interesting . that way and we might have have truth and emotion . for some reason the character in this film think that an emotion only involve say something loudly and make a suitable facial expression . ( out of 5 ) .