HEREAFTER
4 out of 5 stars

i actually ended up really liking this movie b/c of the way the characters and their respective storylines all converged together. clint eastwood shows us how great of a director he is by giving us another good/well developed movie… ;)

there are actually 3 main characters, so naturally 3 storylines. there’s george (matt damon), who is a psychic, who longs for a normal life despite having his “gift”, which he views as a curse. he used to do readings for people until one day he realized he didn’t want a life based upon death. so now, he’s a factory worker at a cane sugar factory in san fran, doing the whole 9 to 5 bit. then, there’s marie (this french actress i can’t remember her name now), who is a journalist/TV anchor in paris, who almost drowns and dies during the 2004 tsunami. she then decides to write a book on her near-death experience, but those around her are skeptical of her… and then, lastly, there are the twins, marcus and jason, who live in a shithole with their junkie mom, constantly trying to outwit social services. marcus and jason are about 10 years old, and one day when jason is out getting his mum some meds to kick her heroin addiction, he’s hit by a van. marcus grieves his twin bro’s death, and finally decides to seek out someone who can help him talk to his brother…

this was a great movie for those coping with a loss of a loved one because it gives us hope and an optimistic outlook on what’s in store for us in the afterlife. eventually, we all die, but what really happens to us when we do? this could have been really cheesy and totally cliché, but clint eastwood portrays death as a peaceful and weightless place. there’s no heaven or hell. it’s just…you. i thought the tsunami scene was really well done, and another wonderful/suspenseful scene was when marcus was in the london underground. (you’ll see what happens) i also like the fact that this movie asks the question of: are our loved ones that have passed really watching over us? i’ve always thought of this as true b/c my dad is now my guardian angel, but this movie actually reaffirms it. ;)