Released in Theaters: 10/22/2010
The crazy, intense opening of a tsunami disaster pulls you right in to Hereafter. By the end of the scene I realized I was holding my breath, and therefore already enjoying the movie. Hereafter surrounds three different characters in three different parts of the world – an American, George Lonegan, played by Matt Damon, can talk to people’s loved ones who have past just by touching their hands; Marcus (Frankie and George McLaren), a London school boy who’s twin brother tragically dies; and Marie LeLay (Cecile De France), a French journalist who experiences the tsunami firsthand and manages to live through the experience. The film follows these individuals separately as they all try to deal with the idea of life after death.
Lonegan is tortured by his visions and considers his ability a curse. He used to have a psychic business and made a nice profit but gave it up because he couldn’t handle it any longer. Lonegan leads a kind of sad and lonely life, trying to fit in with regular, normal people but never really feeling like he does. Damon is cute and awkward in this role making him extremely likeable. He has a small (big) obsession with Charles Dickens that is almost funny. When he is coerced into doing readings for people it is completely intriguing and fascinating. Marcus’ story tugs most at the heart strings. His twin brother, Jason, is his best friend and after he dies Marcus doesn’t know how to live without him. He is on a mission to somehow speak to his brother.
LeLay is well-known in her country and does extremely well at her job. After the tsunami, she struggles with visions of the afterlife and cannot focus on her work. She instead puts her full attention into researching the hereafter. This is the weakest storyline in the movie. While it opens with the incredible tsunami scene, it drags too much with unnecessary and sometimes boring information. If some of this segment were cut, it would help the film move along much faster and keep the audience from checking their watches. The culmination of the film obviously intertwines the three leads as each of them reaches fulfillment in their own ways.
There are two supporting characters worth mentioning. Jay Mohr plays Damon’s brother, Billy. He is all about Lonegan getting back into the psychic business. While Mohr is usually funny and entertaining, he seemed wrong in this role. Every scene he was in seemed too staged, like he was trying too hard to act. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Melanie, who meets Lonegan in a night food/wine class. They have a few flirtatious moments and she is decent in the brief part, if not a tiny bit annoying.
Hereafter is intriguing and uplifting while also being very aesthetically pleasing. If you don’t cry, you will be trying hard not to.
IMDB 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes 49%
Movie Wiseguys 7.0/10