Love doesn’t always come with a happily ever after. Get your tissues ready, because the After upcoming fourth film in the series, after always happywill be released in theaters on September 7, 2022. Based on the best-selling novel by Anne Toddthe film series follows the studious and innocent Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) and the dangerously rebellious Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) while in a passionate but tumultuous relationship. Now a feeling of success, the After The series explores what it takes to keep the fire burning in a relationship.
new to the After Serie? This is how you should watch the movies in order.
After the films in order of release
Image via Voltage Imaging
- After – April 12, 2019
- after we collided – October 23, 2020
- after we fell – September 30, 2021
- after always happy – September 7, 2022
- after all -TBA
After the movies in chronological order
After (2019)
After features Tessa Young, a high school graduate who is about to start her first day at Central Washington University as an undeclared economics major. On the day of her move, she is accompanied by her loving but rather controlling mother, Carol Young, and her high school boyfriend, Noah Porter. Upon her arrival, Tessa is greeted by Steph Jones, Tessa’s roommate, and her girlfriend, Tristan. Unlike the studious Tessa, Steph and Tristan are all about the party scene. However, Tessa hits it off with her new friends and moves into her bedroom.
Steph invites Tessa to a frat house party, to which she reluctantly agrees. There, Tessa meets the rest of Steph and Tristan’s clique, which coincidentally includes Hardin Scott, a mysterious boy she met in her bedroom. The group suggests playing Truth or Dare, and Tessa dares to kiss Hardin. She adamantly refuses and runs away from the party, accidentally wandering into Hardin’s house. Hardin walks in and the two share a long moment before Tessa wakes up and leaves.
Over the next two days, Hardin convinces Tessa to come with him to a lake house. Before they know it, the two start flirting with each other and eventually kiss in the water. But the passion doesn’t last long, and later in the film, it becomes clear that Hardin is sold on the idea of dating. Heartbroken, he continues to ignore Hardin, but his heart softens after Hardin suffers an emotional outburst at home.
Despite her friends’ warnings to take it easy with Hardin, Tessa doesn’t listen to them and continues a seemingly perfect love life with him. Everyone always tells him that Hardin is up to something. Although she ignores them at first, Hardin, under pressure from her friends, finally confesses to Tessa that Hardin dares to make Tessa fall in love with him and ultimately breaks her heart. Tessa realizes that her relationship with Hardin is just one big lie.
After spending some time at home, she returns to college and applies for an internship at Vance Publishing. She spends more time in her class. On the day of her English essay presentation, her teacher pulls her aside and hands her an essay Hardin sent that sounds like it’s for Tessa. After she finishes class, Tessa and Landon sit on the campus lawn. She reads the essay, which turns out to be a letter from Hardin professing her feelings for her.
After Crashing (2020)
after we collided it begins with Hardin dreaming about Tessa, only to wake up alone in his car, upset that Tessa hasn’t responded to his texts. As he gets out of his car, a homeless man desperately looking for someone abruptly approaches him, causing Hardin to shoo him away. Meanwhile, at Vance Publishing, Tessa begins her first day as a brilliant intern. However, things go awry after an awkward run-in with her new co-worker, Trevor Matthews. Tessa is immediately greeted by secretary Kimberly (who is revealed to be Vance’s romantic interest) and Christian Vance, the founder of Vance Publishing.
One night, Tessa attends a nightclub with her co-workers to pique the interest of a potential investor. However, after too many drinks, things got hot and heavy. From dancing with strangers to an accidental kiss, Tessa, in her drunken stupor, calls Hardin and brags about how much she’s drinking now. Trevor suddenly finds her and the two return to her hotel room. Tessa accidentally spills her wine on Trevor’s clothes and asks him to strip so she can wash the stains off. Suddenly, Hardin bursts into the room, angry at a half-naked Trevor and cursing him to leave the room. The couple’s anger doesn’t last long, and eventually the two go to bed together.
But their peaceful meeting does not last long. Tessa soon comes to terms with the complicated mess of her work life and comes to terms with her true feelings for Hardin. Things get even more complex with Hardin’s family entering the mix, with his mother Trish Daniels suddenly visiting him in the States and befriending Tessa. Tessa also goes on an adventure in search of her long-lost father, who shows up at the end in the most surprising way possible.
After We Fell (2021)
In after we fellTessa and Hardin now live happily together, but deep down, they’re still incredibly unsure of themselves. Tessa receives an offer to work at Vance Publishing in her Seattle office from her. While she is excited about the opportunity, Hardin doesn’t share the same sentiment. He is afraid that their long-distance relationship will not work out and more problems will arise. Plus, it doesn’t help that Hardin initially wants to take Tessa to London after graduation.
Despite this, Tessa seizes the opportunity to move to Seattle. Hardin, overcome with jealousy, becomes incredibly jealous, especially since he will be in the same town as Trevor. Meanwhile, Tessa has other fights to attend to; she is trying to reconnect with her estranged father, whom she has not seen in nine years. Hardin, originally reluctant for Tessa to meet her father for fear of getting hurt, finds himself bonding with the man as they bond over his alcoholism.
Everything seems to be going smoothly until Hardin takes Tessa to London for her mother’s wedding. He is hesitant at first because he is afraid that Tessa will judge her past and her origins. With Vance’s encouragement, Hardin invites Tessa to her mother’s wedding. Things seem to be fine, but happiness is short-lived. The night before his mother’s wedding, Hardin accidentally finds Vance having sex with his mother. Kimberly finds out about Vance’s cheating ways and is furious with him. Things take a turn for the worse when Vance reveals a long-lost secret to Hardin.
Happy Afterever (2022)
When Hardin discovers his family’s dark secret, he plunges into a pit of despair from which he cannot escape. Tessa is sick of trying to rescue Hardin from her misery only to find that Hardin is the only one who can do it. To Hardin’s dismay, Tessa finally suggests that they take a break from each other. Hardin is furious at the idea, but eventually, they part ways and spend time figuring out what they really want in life. As they cross paths again in the future, they have a chance to rekindle their relationship or repeat their same old mistakes all over again. Is passion alone enough to keep your relationship strong? Or is this the end for Tessa and Hardin?
After all (TBA)
Not much is known about the recently announced fifth installment aside from the fact that it went into production in August 2022 and Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin reprise their roles as Tessa and Hardin.
