Among the rare few who have closely observed the lives of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, is celebrity photographer and now director Misan Harriman. In the past, he captured various milestone moments of the Sussexes through his lens. It was the image clicked by him that the couple used to announce the Duchess of Sussex’s pregnancy in 2021. Later, he would also go on to capture precious moments of their beloved daughter, Princess Lilibet’s life. 

A short film directed and co-written by him, The After has now appeared on Netflix. Recently, he and Markle sat down to discuss the themes it followed. 

Meghan Markle hosts a special private screening for The After

Earlier this week, Meghan Markle hosted a screening of The After at her residence in Montecito. It was followed by her interviewing Harriman and the lead actor in it, David Oyelowo, as shared by Golden Derby. During the conversation, they touched upon the main theme of the flick: the loss of a loved one. Markle commented on that particular trauma by drawing contrasts between  “grieving the loss of someone” while they are still around and “embodying” that “grief and shock” as an actor. 

Her question to the men emphasized the shock one feels when experiencing trauma and how they brought that “to life” in The After. Both Oyelowo and Harriman deemed the job of acting as a “sacred” tool that can profoundly express such emotions even without words. For instance, as Markle highlighted, most of  Oyelowo’s portrayal of pain in the flick was “internalized” and expressed without any words spoken.  

The unique concept of the short film pulled off this rare feat spectacularly. 

How Misan Harriman captured David Oyelowo’s silent depiction of a grieving father 

In The After, the story follows the heartbreaking tale of a man who tragically loses both his wife and daughter in a harrowing incident. As he goes on to conduct his life as a cab driver while grieving this loss, Harriman shot this film as a collection of moments he experienced with the passengers he picked up on his job. Through the collection of these experiences, he observes the interconnectedness of humans.

For the Duchess of Sussex, the themes of this shared humanity and hopefulness were those that stood out the most. Well, the resilience of the human spirit is stunningly captured in Harriman’s work. As it shines light on how one moves on with life with the shadows of grief always hanging behind, The After is a must-watch emotional piece that leaves one feeling bittersweet about life’s many happenings. 

What do you think of Markle’s comments on grief and loss? Share your thoughts in the comments.