The Moment After

The Moment After is a Christian film released through the Christiano Film Group in 1999. The film, produced for under $250,000, stars David A.R. White and Kevin Downes as FBI agents caught up in the world of the Rapture. The film was written and directed by Wes Llewelyn. The film was a popular success, becoming a bestseller among Christian film audiences, warranting a sequel seven years later. The film was a Crown Award Winner for Best Evangelistic Film and Best Drama film made for under $250,000. [http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=31]

Summary

The movie opens up at an empty house; a phone has been dropped, with the call tone still going, a pot is still cooking on the stove, and a television is still on, indicating a person was still watching it. The strange thing is, the clothes are still on the seat. Outside is total chaos with a panicked mother frantically looking for her daughter and a man looking for his wife after a car crash.

The movie switches to the house of Adam Riley (White), who is still asleep in bed when his door rings. He gets the door, and it turns out to be his friend Charles Baker (Downes). They are FBI agents working on different shifts, but Charles needs Adam after Charles’ partner, George Harris, is among the missing, feared dead. At the FBI headquarters, agents are told to drop whatever they’re doing and are given a folder containing names, and to interview the relatives of the missing people, including Mr. Fulton (the man who was looking for his wife after a car crash), a woman by the name of Peggy who was a nurse helping an old couple, and Katherine, George’s wife (whose two kids Troy and Tanya are also among the missing). Katherine is convinced that this prophicized what George was talking about; the biblical Rapture. Adam and Charles are skeptical at first (but Adam knows from watching a television news argument on the theory of the vanishing), but as they are getting ready to leave and call it a day, Charles is called back to the emergency room when his wife suffers a miscarriage (She later becomes convinced that it was the Rapture).

A Jewish rabbi named Jacob Krause (Brad Heller) is at Synagogue performing his ritual, and picks up a Bible upon hearing the news report on the radio. Jacob convinces a few followers to join his mission, and pick up residence in an abandoned Christian homeless shelter, which soon closes after they are forced out by military.

Katherine goes for a meeting with the administrator and is told that four months have passed since her admittance, and has continued to show improvement in her performance (despite committing suicide shortly after the Rapture). While waiting outside on a bench, Krause comes and delivers her a message from Jesus.

The President makes a State of the Union speech, addressing the recent events. He then informs of a One World Currency and the installation of a B-chip, which is implanted through the palm and “acts as a credit card”. Just when Adam and Charles are close to finding answers to the puzzle, the President orders all FBI agents to be taken off the case. Adam and Charles are given the task to capture Krause, considered to be a “dangerous criminal”.

Adam and Charles proceed to Krause’s last known location, but the only evidence they find is a picture. Adam and Charles have an argument, which ends in Charles driving home. Later that night, Riley goes to see Dr. Wilkins at his church. He asks him about his theory of the Rapture and that he watched his debate on television where Watkins faced off with two scholars. Riley also mentions Krause and Watkins correctly deduces that Krause is one of the 144,000 who will convert those left behind to God himself.

Adam and Charles go back to Krause’s location, and Charles is angry that Riley is going on a “hunch” based on the picture. He then reveals that there was some writing on the back, and that the message was for him to find: SEEK, AND YOU SHALL FIND. However, on their way, they meet up with the military as Riley squares off with Lt. Hendricks (Monte Perlin). They discover that the military has captured Katherine, and Adam break her out. She is soon discovered and a standoff occurs at a diner. Katherine has both agents lower their weapons and says she’s ready and that God will be there to protect her. She sings as the military leave the diner, but not before Hendricks threatens Adam.

Adam and Charles arrive at the mountaintop where they discover Krause alone. Adam wants to go easy on Krause, however Charles says he is just following orders and arrests Krause. Krause is able to convince Adam, but not Charles, that the “B” in the B-chip stands for Beast. They stop at a local gas station, where Adam fills up the gas tank while Charles goes inside to get some snacks. Krause finally gets Adam to believe in God, and helps him out in his escape. He drives the car off, leaving Charles there. Charles calls Adam’s cell, and after getting a crazy answer fom him, borrows a car. The military blocks Adam’s car from proceeding further. The guard checks Adam's ID, but reveals it has been blocked. Before Adam could proceed further, Charles stops him and convinces the military he’s harboring a fugitive. When they look in the trunk of his car, they find nothing. Charles knows Krause was released, and Adam is taken to prison by the military, humming the same tune that Katherine sung when she was taken away.

The final scenes show Charles packing up his stuff at his desk, indicating he was fired, and Adam receiving his dinner from a fellow prison guard Adam takes the bread, and finds a piece of paper with bible passages. He goes to the window with his arms spread out. Krause goes back up to the mountain, indicating that his journey is far from over.