Video: Clint Strikes Gold Again

By Holley Sinn

Verdict: Approved
Evidenced by films like "Gran Torino" and "Million Dollar Baby", I think we can all agree, Clint Eastwood is just a big 'ole softie. Dirty Harry has a heart of gold, and he's proven it once again with his spiritual convergence film, "Hereafter", written by Peter Morgan and executive produced by Steven Speilberg. The idea, though it may sound convoluted, is surprisingly simple. Three individuals connect with the afterlife in some fashion, and by divine design or total coincidence, cross paths in the catharsis of a story which seeks to illuminate life after death without defining it.

The story begins with a tsunami which nearly takes the life of French political anchor, Marie LeLay, played by Cecile De France. Upon returning to Paris, Marie is preoccupied with a vision she had while she was unconscious and drowning - a place characterized by certain feelings she has heard linked with death and the afterlife. Further research into the subject compels Marie to write a book about her experience and what she believes to be a conspiracy to keep the truth about death a secret. Meanwhile, in London, a set of twins, Marcus and Jason, fight to keep social services from separating them from their drug addicted mother, until Jason is suddenly killed in a car accident. Unable to reconcile his brother's death, Marcus makes it his mission to communicate with his brother one last time.

Matt Damon plays George Lonegan, a reluctant psychic who has sworn off providing readings in order to pursue a normal life. However, his efforts at forming a typical dating relationship with Bryce Dallas Howard's "Melanie" go terribly wrong when she coerces George to perform a reading, only to find herself thrown back into horrible memories from her childhood. When George loses his factory job, he is faced with deciding whether or not to resume his former life as a medium which his brother Billy, played by Jay Mohr, vehemently encourages.

Wrought with Charles Dickens references, "Hereafter" is a literary examination of what happens when we die and the connections we keep with those we've lost. Damon and Howard give uncomfortably real and likable performances, and the formerly inexperienced McLaren twins provide the heart of the film - the desperation we often feel when our loved ones are taken unexpectedly. The only awkward element to an otherwise cohesive, astute piece of film-making is Eastwood's lounge act inspired piano score which pops up in sparse, but noticable measure, only to suck the emotion out of otherwise charming and/or tragic moments. Clint fans know he likes to score his own movies, but this one should have been farmed out.

"Hereafter" is approved but will not likely appeal to a wide audience. It is long, can be slow at times, and might be perceived as unpalatably sad, but the sweetness of three social outcasts finding meaning, peace and acceptance through each other, is overwhelmingly hopeful. "Hereafter" is rated PG-13 for some frightening imagery, and it opens this Friday in theaters all over the bay area.