Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Action Comedy Drama Horror Thriller Sci-Fi Romance Mystery Animation Crime
After You’re Gone (2016) movie poster

Timeline

After You’re Gone (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 120 mins · Russian
Loading streaming availability…
Directed by
Anna Matison
Starring
Mariya Smolnikova, Vladimir Menshov, Дмитрий Сорокин, Sergey Gazarov, عبد الحق بلمجاهد, Mikhail Gorskiy

Aleksey Temnikov was a celebrated ballet dancer whose promising career ended abruptly due to an injury in the 1990s. Two decades later, facing a degenerative condition that will soon rob him of his ability to walk, Aleksey decides to finally choreograph a ballet he had long dreamed of creating. Haunted by the question of his legacy, he returns to the world of ballet, a place filled with old rivals and past conflicts.

Drama Cast, crew & box office
On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (12)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
Loading streaming availability…

12 events in order · contains spoilers

After You’re Gone Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of After You’re Gone (2016) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Rise to global fame on world stages

    Temnikov dedicates his life to the stage and performs in halls around the world. The press hails him as a genius of dance and places him in the same breath as Mikhail Baryshnikov.

    When
    Before 1990s
    Where
    World stages

  2. Injury ends his performing career

    In the 1990s he suffers a serious spinal injury that abruptly halts his dancing. He is forced to abandon performance and confront an uncertain future.

    When
    1990s
    Where
    On tour, various venues worldwide

  3. Returns home and launches new ventures

    He returns to his suburban hometown and starts a dance school-studio alongside an apothecary business. The new ventures attempt to translate his art into teaching and entrepreneurship.

    When
    Early 1990s
    Where
    Suburban hometown

  4. Two decades pass with little change

    Twenty years go by, and life in his hometown remains largely the same. He continues teaching dance, clinging to routine rather than pursuing bigger opportunities.

    When
    Two decades after returning
    Where
    Hometown

  5. Girlfriend Marina is pregnant

    His girlfriend Marina is pregnant with his child, adding emotional stakes to his already fragile sense of purpose. The impending addition to his family forces him to confront his new life direction.

    When
    Present
    Where
    Hometown

  6. Chiara appears: a 12-year-old daughter asks for his teaching

    Alexey discovers he has a 12-year-old daughter, Chiara, who wants him to teach her to dance. The revelation reshapes his view of responsibility and his future as a parent. He struggles to balance fame's memory with the demands of family.

    When
    Present
    Where
    Hometown

  7. Reluctance to embrace fatherhood and marriage

    Despite Chiara's desire to learn, Alexey shows little initiative in marriage or being a father. He remains guarded and retreats to his office after teaching, avoiding emotional engagement. This detachment creates tension in his relationships with Marina and Chiara.

    When
    Present
    Where
    Hometown, dance studio, office

  8. Old trauma resurfaces: mobility fears

    The past trauma returns when he learns he may soon lose the ability to walk. The prospect of mobility loss feels like death to him, intensifying his existential questions. He begins to see his life in terms of legacy and what remains after he is gone.

    When
    Present
    Where
    Home

  9. A ballet conceived but never performed

    Earlier in his career he created an original ballet set to Prokofiev's music but never brought it to the stage. The unfinished work haunts his memory and represents what he could still bring to life. It becomes a catalyst for his comeback plan.

    When
    Past
    Where
    Studio / creative space

  10. Decision to mount the ballet

    Facing his mortality and craving a lasting legacy, he resolves that now is the time to stage the ballet publicly. He commits to a comeback and to sharing his art with the world again. The decision marks a turning point in his personal and artistic journey.

    When
    Present
    Where
    Studio

  11. Planning and rehearsals begin

    He begins planning rehearsals and maps out the path to a public staging of the ballet. The process rekindles his creative energy and redefines his purpose as both artist and father.

    When
    Present
    Where
    Dance studio

  12. Family ties spark renewed commitment

    Chiara's presence and Marina's pregnancy become catalysts that push him toward engagement with family. He starts to bridge the gap between his career and his responsibilities as a parent. This shift signals a possible new chapter in his life.

    When
    Present
    Where
    Hometown

Last updated: February 17, 2026 at 19:55

Was this helpful?

Timeline questions answered

After You’re Gone Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of After You’re Gone (2016): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Alexey Temnikov stop his ballet career?

Alexey's performing career ended abruptly in the 1990s when he suffered a serious spinal injury during a tour. This injury forced him to abandon stage performance entirely and return to his hometown, where he started a dance school and apothecary shop to stay connected to dance through teaching.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that he was compared to Mikhail Baryshnikov, making the fall from fame even more dramatic.

  • spinal injury
  • ballet career
  • performing ended
  • 1990s
Q2

Who is Chiara and how did Alexey discover her?

Chiara is Alexey's 12-year-old daughter who suddenly appears in his life wanting him to teach her to dance. The revelation of her existence reshapes his understanding of family responsibility and creates tension between his guarded emotional nature and his new role as a father.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes Chiara's arrival as a present-day event that disrupts his settled routine.

  • Chiara
  • daughter
  • father
  • dance lessons
Q3

What is Alexey's medical condition?

Alexey faces a degenerative condition that threatens to rob him of his ability to walk. This mirrors his earlier spinal injury and intensifies his existential fears about mortality and legacy, pushing him to finally stage the ballet he had long imagined.

Foreshadowing: His past injury resurfaces as a present threat, connecting his old trauma to new fears.

  • degenerative condition
  • mobility
  • spinal problem
  • walking
Q4

Why does Alexey decide to stage his ballet now?

Alexey decides to mount the Prokofiev ballet because he is confronting his mortality, the degenerative condition means he may soon lose the ability to walk. The ballet represents his unrealized artistic vision and his chance to leave a lasting legacy beyond his teaching career.

Foreshadowing: The timeline references the ballet as an unfinished work from his past that haunts his memory.

  • Prokofiev ballet
  • comeback
  • legacy
  • staging
  • artistic dream
Q5

Why is Alexey reluctant to marry Marina or accept fatherhood?

Alexey shows reluctance toward marriage and fatherhood despite Marina's pregnancy and Chiara's desire to learn from him. He remains emotionally guarded, often retreating to his office after teaching rather than engaging with family. His focus on artistic legacy and fear of failure in personal relationships keep him from fully embracing these new responsibilities.

Foreshadowing: His pattern of isolation is established early when he closes himself in his office after teaching.

  • Marina
  • marriage
  • fatherhood
  • emotional avoidance
  • commitment
Q6

What does Alexey's unfinished ballet represent to him?

The ballet set to Prokofiev's music represents Alexey's unrealized artistic vision, the work he created but never dared to stage. It symbolizes his ultimate creative legacy and serves as a catalyst for his comeback, allowing him to affirm his life through art before his body fails him completely.

Foreshadowing: The ballet is introduced as a 'seed from the past' that sprouts into action.

  • Prokofiev
  • unfinished ballet
  • artistic vision
  • creative legacy
Q7

How does Chiara's presence change Alexey?

Chiara's appearance becomes a catalyst that pushes Alexey toward emotional engagement with his family. Her longing to know him and learn dance helps bridge the gap between his legendary past and his present responsibilities as a father, signaling a possible new chapter in his life.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes Chiara as a turning point that reshapes his view of responsibility.

  • Chiara
  • daughter
  • family
  • personal growth
  • transformation
Q8

Why does Alexey fear losing his ability to walk so much?

Alexey's fear of losing his ability to walk stems from his traumatic spinal injury that already ended his performing career. The prospect feels like death to him because dance is his identity and his way of expressing art. Facing a degenerative condition that will rob him of mobility triggers existential questions about what will remain after he's gone.

Foreshadowing: His past injury and the parallel to his current condition create a sense of inevitability.

  • fear of walking
  • mobility loss
  • identity
  • dance
  • mortality
Q9

Why did Alexey open a dance school in his hometown instead of pursuing another performing career?

After his spinal injury forced him to abandon performance, Alexey returned to his suburban hometown and opened a dance school-studio alongside an apothecary shop. This allowed him to stay connected to dance through teaching while building a practical, everyday life, blending his artistic identity with entrepreneurship and stability.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows this as his immediate response to career-ending injury.

  • dance school
  • hometown
  • teaching
  • new life
  • adaptation
Q10

What kind of legacy does Alexey want to leave?

Alexey wants to leave a lasting artistic legacy through the ballet he never staged. Haunted by the question 'what will be left of me after I'm gone?' he sees the Prokofiev ballet as his chance to affirm his life, share his art with the world, and create something that outlasts his physical decline.

Foreshadowing: The film's central theme of legacy is introduced early through his daily existential question.

  • legacy
  • artistic contribution
  • rememberance
  • life affirmation

Movie threads

More Movies Like After You’re Gone, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes After You’re Gone tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about artistic legacy like After You’re Gone

Artists confronting mortality and the desire to leave one final masterpiece. If you enjoyed the reflective journey of After You’re Gone, explore other movies about artists confronting their legacy. These films feature creators facing their mortality, wrestling with unfulfilled dreams, and striving for one final artistic statement.

  • reflective
  • melancholic
  • determined
  • introspective
  • somber
  • hopeful
  • Tone: melancholic, reflective, determined
  • Pacing: slow, deliberate, character-focused
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread follow a linear, character-driven path. A seasoned artist, often physically diminished, revisits their passion after years of absence. The plot centers on their internal struggle with regret and determination as they attempt to complete a final project that embodies their life's work, encountering past conflicts along the way.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here by their shared focus on the artist's late-career introspection. They blend melancholic reflection with a determined, hopeful drive, resulting in a heavy emotional weight and a slow, deliberate pace that allows for deep character exploration.

After You’re Gone movie poster

After You’re Gone

2016
The Great Beauty movie poster

The Great Beauty

2013
Longing movie poster

Longing

2017
Drive My Car movie poster

Drive My Car

2021
Miroirs No. 3 movie poster

Miroirs No. 3

2025
Last Days movie poster

Last Days

2005
Dark Illness movie poster

Dark Illness

1990
Rocking Horse movie poster

Rocking Horse

1978

Slow-burn redemption dramas like After You’re Gone

Quiet stories of individuals seeking peace and purpose after a fall from grace. Fans of the contemplative pace and heavy emotion of After You’re Gone will appreciate these slow-burn character studies. Discover movies about people seeking redemption and meaning after a major setback, focusing on internal growth over external action.

  • somber
  • reflective
  • hopeful
  • redemptive
  • melancholic
  • introspective
  • Tone: somber, melancholic, hopeful
  • Pacing: slow burn, reflective
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a protagonist who has experienced a profound loss—of career, ability, or status—and is now in a period of reassessment. The story unfolds slowly, prioritizing moments of reflection and small, meaningful actions over a high-stakes plot. The journey is less about a triumphant return and more about achieving personal acceptance or a different kind of fulfillment.

Why they belong together: This thread connects movies through their shared melancholic mood, slow pacing, and focus on a character's internal redemption arc. The emotional core revolves around confronting past failures and finding a way forward, often with a bittersweet or hopeful undertone despite the heavy themes.

The Browning Version movie poster

The Browning Version

1994
The Good Thief movie poster

The Good Thief

2003
All Is Forgiven (2007) movie poster

All Is Forgiven (2007)

2021
Clean movie poster

Clean

2005
Reign Over Me movie poster

Reign Over Me

2007
Moonlight Mile movie poster

Moonlight Mile

2002
A Bad Son movie poster

A Bad Son

1980
Under the Open Sky movie poster

Under the Open Sky

2025

Every angle

After You’re Gone (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about After You’re Gone in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app