In lesser hands, "Hereafter" could have been a treacly exercise in overly sentimental melodrama. In the deft hands of the great Clint Eastwood, however, "Hereafter" is a sublimely powerful masterwork. Eastwood is one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, and he knows better than to veer into the realm of sappy manipulation. "Hereafter" does not preach that there is an afterlife. Rather, the film merely contemplates the possibility of one, and it does so with remarkable grace. This is a beautiful film.
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The three-track narrative spans three countries. In San Francisco, we meet George Lonnegan (Matt Damon), a former psychic with awe-inspiring abilities to communicate with the dead. George understands that he could reap the rewards of a lavish lifestyle if he chose to make a profit from his psychic powers, but he views his abilities as more of a curse than a gift. When people continually pester George with requests for him to do a reading, he sharply declines. That was part of his past, he says. He does not do that anymore.
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In Paris, the story follows the life of Marie Lelay, a French television reporter (Cecile de France) who is struggling to combat with the effects of a concussion she suffered during a tsunami in Thailand. Marie barely escaped death, and ever since the tsunami she has been experiencing strange visions, visions that prevent her from functioning at work. When Marie tells her lover that she has these visions, he scoffs at the notion. But Marie knows that her visions are profoundly real. She visits a clinic in Switzerland and is told by the director of the clinic that she has been experiencing visions of an afterlife.
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Meanwhile, in London, we are introduced to 12-year old twins Marcus and Jason. Marcus and Jason do everything in their power to help their mother, who suffers from drug and alcohol addiction, recover so that child services won't intervene. One day Jason goes to the store to buy his mother some medicine. On the way home, he is cruelly teased and pushed around by a group of loitering bullies. In an effort to escape, Jason runs into the road and is struck to death by a car. This tragedy devastates Marcus and leads him to seek out a series of psychics to see if they can communicate with his beloved brother.
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It goes without saying that the three narratives eventually become one interlocking narrative. Many films fail in their attempt to connect multiple storylines, but "Hereafter" is reminiscent of "Crash" and "Babel" in the seamless, elegant manner in which it brings the stories together. This is a testament to the terrific Peter Morgan screenplay, and to the brilliance of Clint Eastwood, the ageless wonder who continues to churn out masterpiece after masterpiece. Eastwood is such a graceful filmmaker, and he handles this material with a careful delicacy that breeds genuine authenticity and emotion. Nothing feels forced in "Hereafter". Every scene is deeply moving, and the final act, in which everything comes together, is enchanting. As he always does, Eastwood also gets the best out of his actors. The great Matt Damon is again wonderful here, delivering perhaps his most sensitive performance to date. And the stunningly gorgeous Cecil de France is a revelation. Both deserve Oscar nominations. It should also be mentioned that Frankie and George McLaren, the actors who play the twins, are excellent.
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In terms of material, "Hereafter" is a bit of a departure for Eastwood. It is, however, another richly satisfying gem from one of the all-time greats. In the past decade, Eastwood has given us "Mystic River", "Million Dollar Baby", "Letters from Iwo Jima", and "Gran Torino", to name a few. And with "Hereafter", he has struck gold once more.
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