Clint Eastwood excels at creating deep stories about the human condition. Whether an old, racist curmudgeon joins a community he once feared or an old, curmudgeon with a flair for Gaelic culture trains a woman to box, Eastwood’s films have been simple stories grounded in real-world prejudices filled with powerful performances. With Hereafter he departs from his typical fare in favor of the supernatural, and whether the film benefits or suffers from this new addition is secondary to the fact that the story isn’t as tight and focused as Eastwood’s past endeavors. This isn’t your typical Eastwood film in terms of content, however the strength Matt Damon and Cecile de France in the lead remind you just how skilled Clint is at working with talented actors.
The film starts with an unfortunately timely natural disaster in Thailand that sees investigative reporter Marie (de France) brought to the brink of death and then back again, but not before seeing something on the other side. In London, twins Marcus and Jason (Frankie McLaren, George McLaren) are separated after a tragic accident in traffic. Tying the story together is George (Damon), a San Franciscan whose ability to communicate with the deceased has complicated his life and all his relationships. After putting an end to his business as a medium, he’s got his life back on track until layoffs and an abrupt end to his romance with a member of his cooking class (Bryce Dallas Howard) push him to reevaluate his life once again. He takes a brief trip to London where the paths of the three characters collide.
Separately, the stories of each character are interesting, but there’s a definite gradation as to whose is developed the most. The story of George dominates a good half of the film as he is essentially the character that can provide closure for the other two, and while this doesn’t automatically mean that the other two leads have to suffer, that’s how it goes. The story of Marie seems to suffer the most in terms of emotional heft. Even as we see her professional life take a dive as she becomes increasingly passionate about bringing attention to the possibility of there being more to death than just a black void, we’re never forced to become invested in her career. The event she survives at the film’s outset is truly devastating, but from that point onward her story is downright sterile as its focus is more professional than anything else. Conversely, the story of the British twins achieves and maintains its emotional strength from the start, using a heroin-addicted mother, the death of a child, and then a sense of deteriorating hope as Marcus goes from one spiritual speaker to the next looking to reconnect with Jason. Is it slightly manipulative? Sure, but it’s the closest thing to a counterbalance to Damon’s portion.
Even if Marie’s story never quite equals that of George or Marcus, that’s not to say the performance delivered by de France is any less compelling than her co-stars’. The weakest performance(s) come from the McLaren twins who throw out some of their lines so stiffly that it jolts you out of the film; luckily the bulk of their performances are well-matched to their more experienced counterparts. Cecile and Damon do well enough, but they’re working hard to overcome subject matter that’s inevitably going to make a certain portion of the audience roll their eyes with its spirituality.
Save for the opening disaster sequence the hi-def won’t have a huge impact on your viewing experience, although it does more for an Eastwood film than it typically does for other dramas thanks to Eastwood’s visual style.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
This package comes with a Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy of the film. The featurette that takes a look at the “supernatural” world of psychics, mediums, and the like is interesting, but unless you believe in it it’ll feel like Eastwood trying to justify straying from his more reality-based stomping grounds. The gem of the set is an extended version of “The Eastwood Factor” which explores this actor-turned-director’s films and gives him a chance to speak candidly about them. This is the extra to watch.
"Hereafter" is on sale March 15, 2011 and is rated PG13. Drama. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Written by Peter Morgan. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Jay Mohr, Matt Damon, Cecile De France, Frankie Mclaren, George Mclaren.
