Aftershock is a 2022 American documentary film directed and produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee. It follows Omari Maynard and Bruce McIntyre, whose partners died due to childbirth complications, which were preventable, as they fight for justice.
Aftershock is a documentary that sheds light on the systemic failures of the U.S. maternal health system, which disproportionately endanger the lives of Black women. Centered on the tragic, preventable deaths of Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac during childbirth, the film follows their grieving partners, Omari Maynard and Bruce McIntyre, as they transform their pain into purpose. Through their activism and community-building with other surviving Black fathers, they rally for justice, expose the historical roots of neglect and exploitation in gynecology, and demand institutional reform. Seamlessly blending intimate personal stories with searing historical analysis, Aftershock uplifts the resilience of families and birth workers striving to create a more equitable and compassionate maternal health system, while calling attention to an urgent national crisis.[2]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% approval rating based on reviews from 28 critics, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's consensus reads: "Aftershock points a sobering spotlight on a public health crisis, maintaining a heartbreaking focus on its tragic human cost."[6]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 87 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[7]
