After Hours: Scorsese, Grief and the Grammar of Cinema is a live wire examination of author Ben Tanzer's relationship to Martin Scorsese's famous 1985 film, and how it helped him to make sense of the death of his father. Tanzer also delves into the overall importance of Scorsese and his films to his family, using After Hours as a lens into his life decisions - most particularly in the form of late-night visits to downtown New York City in the 1980s when he first came of age and began to ask himself how one manages to live a life of meaning, excitement, exploration, and joy.