Clint Eastwood has made a name for himself as an actor and now he’s doing it again as a director. Hereafter is an amazing glimpse into three disconnected lives which are dealing with death and the afterlife in three very different ways. I love films which take this approach to storytelling and rotate you through small segments in each of the three stories. There is a French journalist who has a brush with the other side herself, a young set of English twins who practically raise themselves, and Matt Damon, a retired psychic living in San Francisco. The movie moves very slow which won’t bode well with the general American audience but if you appreciate well made film making and excellent storytelling, you’re in for a treat.
The movie begins with some action which may fool a lot of moviegoers especially those expecting to see Matt Damon in his typical gun-toting roles. However, after the first few scenes, the film switches to an intellectual delight uncovering the mysteries of what happens to us after death and what brings us together during life. As George Lonegan, Matt Damon’s character, puts it, “a life that’s all about death is no life at all.” His character is a reluctant psychic trying to find a normal life. He finds that it’s impossible to have a regular relationship with anyone and continually tries to run away from his gift which he calls a curse.
When you see water recede...run!
Marie LeLay (Cécile De France) on the other hand is incredibly intrigued by the sensations of the afterlife. She got a glimpse of it after being knocked unconscious and almost drowning to death in a tsunami. After coming back to life, her life was forever changed and she couldn’t return to her previous state. Instead, she becomes obsessed with the idea of what happens to everyone after they pass away and sets out to expose the world to it. She’s met with the same problems and skepticism as others who have investigated the afterlife…even at her high position in society.
Twins are always freaky for some reason...
Marcus and Jason (Frankie McLaren and George McLaren) are mischievous twins…but in a good way. One is just nineteen minutes older than the other but he makes sure you know it. They live in London with their drunk drug-addicted single mother who is barely able to take care of herself. If it wasn’t for the kids, they would have been taken by child services and put in foster care. At a very young age, they have to deal with death and figure out how to move on. Inseparable, even when one goes to run an errand, they talk to each other on the phone the whole time they’re apart.
As previously mentioned, the film does move very slow but in my opinion, it moves beautifully. It allows you to get into the minds and moods of each of the characters. While the story switches from one to another, I kept wanting to know what was going on in the other stories…I was completely engaged and devoted to each of the three lives. Each of them are so unique and offer their own arcs which include subtle humor and different insights on how to deal with death. The acting is as superb as the direction and writing is. The story is well maintained through the three separate stories and be assured that it ties together nicely in one cohesive idea.
I like movies which use real websites...like Google.
Don’t be fooled though…this is not a blockbuster movie. I’m very surprised that this is getting a wide release. Basically, the studio is using Matt Damon in this movie as they used George Clooney in The American. They’re tricking moviegoers into thinking they’re going to see an action flick and then doing the bait and switch to show them an incredibly powerful and interesting film. If you didn’t like this film, you’ll probably ask yourself how you sat through the whole thing but if you get deep into the film, you’ll be asking yourself numerous questions about not just death but life as well.
Tags: Clint Eastwood, Hereafter, Matt Damon
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
