Hereafter

Starring: Matt Damon, Cécile De France, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jay Mohr.
Genre: Drama

This Clint Eastwood directed drama focuses on the stories of three people whose lives are all effected by death, in different ways. George (Matt Damon) is a seemingly ordinary American, except he has a psychic connection with people in the afterlife. Marie (Cécile De France), a French woman with a high profile job as a TV Presenter has a near death experience when she's caught up in a tsunami, experiencing a brief glimpse into the hereafter. Marcus (Frankie McLaren and George McLaren), a young schoolboy from London, loses his brother Jason, and desperately wants to make contact.

This is a cry-fest! It upset me a lot, especially the scene where Marcus has a reading with George. At the same time, it's hauntingly beautiful. The French third of the movie is in sub-titles, for those of you who, like me, hate reading off the screen. Matt Damon gives a strong performance, and you can just feel his pain as Melanie leaves after badgering him for the reading he was so reluctant to give. Eastwood is not a fan of editing, and leaves in bits most other directors would cut, but this seems to add to the slow, gentle appeal of Hereafter. Overall, this is a moving, sentimental, slow journey; a character piece that will draw you in, make you cry, then leave you either uplifted or wanting to kill yourself. Bring tissues.