Hereafter (PG-13)

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood has loaded his mantle with trophies from both on screen and more recently behind the camera performances. In 2010, Eastwood would direct, produce, and even score the film “Hereafter.”

The opening to the movie is outstanding, both in terms of the special effects and the sheer chaos that’s involved. Journalist Marie Lelay (Cecile de France) has woken up in a luxury hotel in Thailand with her male companion. She heads to the bustling main corridor for street shopping without a care or concern in her mind.

That we see thousands of people in the market shopping, and lounging in various beach related activities is the epitome of a place we have all been. Enjoying life in the moment, with the thought of terrible expectations completely removed from our minds. The tranquility is shattered minutes later as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami occurs – changing and ending thousands of lives in an instant.

“Hereafter” deals with death, and the afterlife, on three separate fronts. Matt Damon plays George Lonegan, a San Francisco resident who has the uncanny ability to connect with the deceased. Once a successful psychic reader, George gave up the life because of the stressful limits it placed upon him. “A life that’s all about death is no life at all.” George tells his brother Billy (Jay Mohr).

Matt Damon flourishes in the role of George Lonegan. George is just a  regular guy who happens to have this ability and while he wants to help people where he can, he understands that having the power, and the knowledge of death, isn’t always a good thing.

An early scene with George giving a charity reading to a friend is chilling, and demonstrates clearly to the viewer that there is no scam involved at all – George is able to communicate with people in the afterlife. Damon demonstrates his great talents as a dramatic actor in the role, with Jay Mohr equally perfect as older brother Billy, who loves him but also loves the idea of marketing his talents to maximize profits.

Marie is resuscitated after being pulled from the waters in the wake of the tsunami. She continues to experience chilling visions of her experience, with shadowy figures and the ominous bright light shining a constant reminder.

While the concept of the story is intriguing, the presentation itself is where the movie falls flat. At a run time of 2:09 it gets dull after the exciting opening, and with the story lines involving George, Marie in the aftermath of the tsunami, and twin brothers (Frankie and George McLaren) in London who reside with a junkie mother and must deal with adversity of their own its just too much. And not to sound ignorant, but I hated that a large portion of the movie is focused on Marie, speaking French and requiring the constant reading of subtitles.

“Hereafter” is an interesting exercise in life, death, and the afterlife. But its slow pace and confusing inclusion of too many central characters makes it just a slightly above average movie.

by – Matt Christopher