Hereafter tells the story of three people who are touched by death in different ways. George (Matt Damon) is a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie (Cecile De France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus, a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might--or must--exist in the hereafter. (from MovieWeb.com)

Life after death is a pretty universal topic, so it seems only natural that Clint Eastwood's latest directorial venture would take the story international. Hereafter is a Hollywood examination of what happens after we die. While not really focusing on a particular religious belief, Hereafter offers a somewhat worldly viewpoint on what could happen after death. The story focuses on three separate characters and how they each are confronted with death in different ways. The film opens where a French journalist, named Marie Lelay, on vacation when a tsunami hits (which is disturbingly timely considering what just happened recently in Japan). Marie basically dies and is resuscitated back to life, now preoccupied with the near death experience. Meanwhile, twin boys living in London have to stick together while their single mother is frequently trashed. One of the twins ends up dying and he has to now face his lonely life without his closest confidant. Finally, Matt Damon stars as a retired psychic named George Lonegan who has the extraordinary gift of touching someone and instantly connecting with a person close to them who has passed on. He desperately wants to leave this life behind but seems unable to shake it. As the film progresses, the stories start to intertwine and the film finds its much needed cohesiveness.

To be honest, Hereafter isn't usually my kind of film, but with Damon starring and Eastwood behind the camera, I was interested in checking this one out -- especially since it's Eastwood's investigation into the afterlife (which is something close to every Christian's heart). I had originally assumed that the film was mostly about Damon's character and was a little surprised to see that there were three separate stories being told for much of the film's two-hour running time. But Eastwood takes a dramatic and story-centric approach to directing. Although there's an effects-laden tsunami destruction sequence at the film's start, Hereafter is clearly NOT an action film or even a disaster film. The tsunami is merely a plot piece that enables the character to be in the position she's in for the story's sake. What Eastwood has created here is a drama consisting of skilled direction and fantastic acting. Damon is reserved (even more so than in the recent The Adjustment Bureau) and plays the troubled soul very, very well. He's a quiet man with a gentle spirit but constantly battling inside with the cards he's been dealt in life. He views his "gift" as a curse, while others see it as nothing else but a gift. Damon plays George wonderfully, giving plenty of depth to the lonely heart who seems to be losing hope that he could have any semblance of a normal life. French actress Cécile De France makes her American film debut here and is given ample amounts of screen time. Luckily, Cécile has a charm and warmth to her character of Marie and it's easy enough to get pulled into her storyline.

The topic of "the hereafter" takes center stage near the middle of the film as one of the twins is searching for answers, Marie begins researching the afterlife and George finds that he can't really escape his past. Through the twin's search for truth, we see him looking at videos on YouTube from religious scholars talking about life after death. The first video seems to be a sort of Middle Eastern teacher talking about it, to which the boy eventually ends abruptly and opts for a second, considerably shorter video that simply shows a man in black stating that if you believe in Christ, there should be no fear of death. The video lasts about 10 seconds, and after the man says that, the boy just shakes his head. Not a single other mention of Christianity, Jesus or even God are mentioned in the film (aside from a brief church funeral scene). I found this to be kind of odd, but I could tell that Eastwood and the script writer were trying to keep it as politically correct and accessible as possible. As pure entertainment or food for thought, the film succeeds through its stellar acting and direction, but the movie leaves more questions than answers with sort of a "hey, no one really knows" approach to the topic. In the twin boy's quest to contact his lost brother, he tries meeting with several different psychics who all turn out to be frauds. The only true "psychic" in the film appears to be Damon's George, who takes it all seriously without any bells or whistles. There's no crystal ball and there doesn't even seem to be a New Age angle to his abilities -- the guy can just simply connect with and listen to dead loved ones of those he comes in contact with. But viewers sensitive to such spiritual topics would do well to exhibit caution before seeing a film like this one. There's no basis in scripture or Christianity but there also doesn't seem to be a hidden agenda either. As Eastwood is now, himself, in his 80's, it's obvious that this subject matter is on his mind and he's definitely soul searching.

The content is mixed for this PG-13 film. There's 1 distinct "F" word used by actor Richard Kind within the first few minutes of the film, and it's more than totally unnecessary. It feels included just because it could be. Other language is limited to just a couple uses of the "s" word and a few other cuss words, as well as a few uses of "Oh my G-d." We do learn that Marie and her boss are sleeping together in what is possibly an affair, but there are no sexual situations seen. However, we do see Marie while she's taking a bath (but no explicit nudity is shown) and we see her in her underwear on at least one occasion. Finally, Marie has some abrasions on her face after the tsunami hits (which is a pretty intense sequence by itself) and we see a boy get hit by a bus and die (with some blood around his head when we see his body lying on the ground). Thematically, it's a heavy movie and not one that fans of Damon's lighter or more action-oriented films may be interested in.

Overall, Hereafter is a good drama, but it will probably stir more questions for those interested in the topic of the afterlife than answer them (but I don't think the film sets out to answer questions either). It's masterfully executed - from casting to direction - but the film is unmistakably a drama and may even be considered boring by many of Damon's core fans. I can't say it's a movie I'll revisit much (if at all) in the future, but I can see the value in the performances in the film and what Eastwood was attempting to create. The film also offers a satisfying ending for the central characters, which adds to the enjoyablility of the movie, but due to its subject matter; which involves near-death, death of a child and sibling, and communicating with the dead; it's a difficult film to recommend and is far from just the popular theatrical fluff.

The Warner Bros. Blu-Ray release of Hereafter offers a Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack for those who loved this movie enough to want to take it just about anywhere with them. There aren't a lot of bonus features on the Blu-Ray disc, but what's included is still pretty decent...

Step Into The Hereafter (42:26) - As with many Warner Bros. releases these days, the studio has been mixing all of the featurettes into an interactive format so viewers can access them while watching the movie. This isn't really the ideal way to watch bonus material (at least, not to me, since it causes an interruption in the movie), and Warner has thought this through, making each bonus feature available separately and even with its own play-all option. "Step Into The Hereafter" is nearly 45 minutes long, broken up into 9 segments devoted to the making of the film and even the topic of life after death (The segments are: "Tsunami! Recreating A Disaster," "Is There Life After Death," "Clint On Casting," "Delving Into The Hereafter," "Twin Bonding," "French Speaking French," "Why the White Light," "Hereafter's Locations - Casting The Silent Characters" and "The Eastwood Experience). As a whole, the featurettes offer some interesting insight into the making of the film, while also delving into the subject matter as well. Through this, we hear from the cast and crew about their thoughts on life after death (some believe in it, some don't), and we even hear from a self-proclaimed psychic on the matter. There's a special feature devoted entirely to twins and we learn that producer Kathleen Kennedy (who many might recognize from a great number of major films she's produced) has a twin sister and we see them together in an interview. Lastly, the cast and crew shift the focus to filmmaker Clint Eastwood himself and share their excitement and enthusiasm for working with the Hollywood legend.

The Eastwood Factor - Extended Version (1:28:27) - Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this feature-length documentary covers the career of Eastwood since his start as an actor and appears to have been made around the time of the Eastwood-directed Invictus, which also starred Damon and Freeman. It's an insightful look into Eastwood's legacy and fans of the actor/director would especially enjoy watching this.

Overall, Hereafter looks great in high definition and although there doesn't appear to be many bonus features at first glance, what is included is interesting and informative enough. Diehard Eastwood and Damon fans, or those especially intrigued by the subject matter may be most interested in this film, otherwise there isn't a whole lot about it to recommend.