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In his new film “Hereafter,” director Clint Eastwood analyzes some big themes of life, death and the afterlife, the latter dominating the film’s other serious subject matter.
Eastwood, like his protagonist in the film, George Lonegan (Matt Damon), admits he does not know what happens after we die. Yet, the film offers a plausible and moving drama through three interwoven stories of living and dying that is more concerned with the humanistic aspect of death, rather than its religious component.
By choosing to steer clear of religion, Eastwood and screenwriter Peter Morgan are able to express what they imagine a human is capable of when he or she passes on.
The beauty of “Hereafter” though, is not Eastwood’s creative articulation of humans in the afterlife, rather it is how he brings together three vastly different people together in order to prove that we are all capable of living beyond death.
Then there is George, an-ex psychic with an extraordinary gift of speaking to the dead, who cannot connect or even come into contact with another human without having spiritual visions of one of their dead relatives or friends. George, a psychic, is an isolated man living in San Francisco, taking night culinary classes and working a blue-collar factory job during the day. He doesn’t accept his gift as what it is – something that can be used to help others.
Rather, he hides from it, eschewing his older brother’s (Jay Mohr) advice that he should use it for profit. “It’s not a gift; it’s a curse,” George repeatedly states.
Damon is perfect as George, a character similar to some of his previous roles, but unique in a lot of different aspects.
As the triangle of characters continue to live on after their own experiences with death, the message that Eastwood is trying to send becomes clearer to the audience, more than it should perhaps.
The film is a little contrived, however, it still works, because of the way Eastwood develops the three character’s stories.
Marie (Cecile de France), an actress obsessed with her near-death experience, cannot relate to the world the same way that she used to; however she has a desire to live the life that was momentarily taken away from her.
For Marcus (George and Frankie McLaren), a quiet London schoolboy, it seems he is a half of the person he was before his brother’s premature death, which means he has to learn how to become a complete individual.
He tries to find answers through various phony psychics, but it isn’t until a meeting with George where he realizes that there are no exact answers as to where his brother is now.
However, what Marcus learns is that we are all capable of living and dying. However, what matters is how we impact others while we are alive.
