Hereafter

Clint Eastwood's latest directorial effort—a tantalizing, melancholy meditation on mortality and the afterlife—begins in 2004 in a beach resort in Indonesia, where French TV news anchor Marie LeLay (Cécile De France), who is vacationing with her lover/colleague, nearly drowns in the monstrous Indian Ocean tsunami. Upon returning to Paris, Marie is haunted by vague paranormal visions and discovers that her life has changed completely. Next, we meet a shy and lonely London schoolboy named Marcus (alternately played by George and Frankie McLaren) living with his junkie mom and mourning the accidental death of his identical twin brother, Jason. Desperate to contact Jason, Marcus ventures into a British occult community filled with fakes and frauds. And in San Francisco, George Lonegan (Matt Damon) is an authentic but anguished psychic whose bizarre “gift” alienates him from others, leaving him home alone most nights, listening to recordings of Charles Dickens tales and longing for companionship, particularly from flirtatious Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard), whom he meets in a cooking class. Hereafter artfully interweaves the three diverse storylines, which converge in a style reminiscent of Crash and Babel. A pensive, curiously compelling (if also spiritually simplistic) film, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “Tsunami! Recreating a Disaster” (7 min.), “The Eastwood Experience” (4 min.), and “Hereafter's Locations—Casting the Silent Characters” (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are “The Eastwood Factor” documentary (89 min.), “Focus Points” which includes the previously mentioned featurettes, as well as additional segments that can be accessed during the film (43 min.), and bonus digital and DVD copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an intriguing film.] (S. Granger)