The film begins with Marie LeLay (Cécile De France), a popular French journalist, who has a near-death experience as a result of an unprecedented tidal wave (being referred to as a tsunami). Marie experiences sudden flashes of white light and has visions of eerie-looking, unidentifiable shadow figures. Though she lives through the natural disaster, she cannot shake the idea of death and her experience afterward, and begins to wonder if her current life will be her last.
In San Francisco, George Lonegan (Matt Damon) struggles leading a normal life. He possesses the uncanny ability to communicate with the dead. His brother, Billy (Jay Mohr), seeks to make a profit off of George’s ability. George wants none of it. Once popular, with a website, an office and great success, he decides to become a factory worker. He tries to slip away from those who confront him for readings.
He’s good-natured and a kind spirit, but solitary because of his gift, which he deems a “curse.” George, unable to control his power, seeks peace and stability, and may be in luck after meeting Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard), a potential love interest who may be the key to the normalcy he longs for.
The third story follows twin brothers Marcus and Jason (Frankie/George McLaren), living with a substance-abusing mother in London. After Marcus suffers the loss of his twin in an unexpected accident, he finds difficulty in dealing with his brother’s death. Marcus begins to search for someone who can help him communicate with his brother.
Throughout, the film jumps from character to character, taking us through their personal struggles, conflicts and aspirations, all while raising the question of whether there is, or isn’t, an afterlife. Hereafter is very loosely structured, if it even has a structure at all. Writer Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) said in an interview that the story simply came to him. Morgan’s intuitive screenplay is a major departure from his standard taut and structured writing, but it nevertheless works.
But it’s the writing, and in part the acting, that hinders Hereafter from being a great picture. The screenplay, while effective, isn’t always entirely gripping and provides little sense of narrative direction. Non-Eastwood loyalists, in particular, may especially grow impatient with the latter.
The cast, while good, lacks the power and presence of previous casts of Eastwood pictures. The strongest performer is Damon, whose superb, subtle performance is one of his best to date. His story proves to be the most interesting and engaging as an empathetic, isolated character searching for solace. Hereafter features strong performances, just not the kind that make for an Eastwood epic.
Eastwood, though, proves his flexibility as a director yet again, touching on new territory without disappointing, and his effective formula of straight shooting and his niche for good storytelling remain unmatched. Here, he creates a dense, fascinating, and thought-provoking film that focuses on a subject universally contemplated: what happens when we die? Is there something afterward, or is it here that we’ll take our final breathes? Eastwood, admirably, seems to suggest an answer without ever being definitive.
Director: Clint Eastwood
Writer: Peter Morgan
Stars: Matt Damon, Cécile De France and Bryce Dallas Howard
Cast: Cécile De France ... Marie LeLay
Thierry Neuvic ... Didier
Cyndi Mayo Davis ... Island Hotel Clerk
Lisa Griffiths ... Stall Owner
Jessica Griffiths ... Island Girl
Ferguson Reid ... Rescuer
Derek Sakakura ... Rescuer
Source: Suite 101