Hereafter (Warner Brothers)
Eastwood Scores Again
Hereafter is not the best film Clint Eastwood has directed but it is an engrossing and entertaining one. Much like last years Invictus which Eastwood also directed and which also starred Matt Damon, Hereafter is a film that relies heavily on content. It is a slow moving story that weaves its spell by being thorough.
The movie starts off with a bang as it shows a tsunami sweeping through a foreign resort town. One of the people caught up in the huge wave is French News reporter Marie LeLay (Cecile De France). When she is revived she feels she has had a near death experience and it causes her to consider the afterlife and what it will be.
Meanwhile in London twin brothers Marcus and Jason (George and Frankie McLauren) are trying to survive with a single mother, who is also a drug addict. When tragedy strikes the family Marcus begins his own search to discover what happens to us after death.
Finally in the United States George Lonegan (Damon) is trying to make some sense of his life. He has a gift that allows him to communicate with the dead. George considers this to be a curse and fights against exploiting this talent. His brother Billy (Jay Mohr) sees it as a moneymaker and constantly urges George to do readings.
These three people are on a collision course with each other. Though they come from three distinctly different places geographically and are at different places in their lives, they all have a common thread that links them together.
The film is basically divided into thirds with each of these characters getting their just due. When the film is dealing with Maries story it is predominately in French with English subtitles. This might be a little off putting to the audience. Still it gives the story validity and universal appeal.
The acting in the movie is excellent with Damon being at the top of his game. He is not overly dramatic in any way but rather inhabits the characters quiet strength and focus. De France and the McLauren twins are all newcomers and nail their roles. Jenifer Lewis has a cameo as a woman desperate to learn about her dead baby. She is staggering in her intensity and with the impact she makes of her brief time on screen.
Bryce Dallas Howard is cast as a young woman George meets in a cooking class. She is very good in the part but the character is one of the most annoying people seen on screen in some time. It is to Howards credit she is so annoying but you are glad when she is gone.
Eastwood moves his story slowly forward one step at a time. As written by Peter Morgan the revelations of the plot are slow in coming but certainly worthwhile once they arrive. Eastwood also composed the score which subliminally adds to the effect of the film.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
Eastwood is a great director. He knows how to draw good performances from his actors and he also knows how to tell a story. He does both in Hereafter. Still this is a very low key and muted movie that may not be as big a draw as his other films have been. It is however very much worth seeing.
I scored Hereafter a heavenly 7 out of 10.
