Warner Bros. | 2010 | 129 mins. | PG-13
Over the years, my respect for Clint Eastwood’s talent has grown immeasurably. Having grown up on countless re-runs of Rawhide and his years as a western and action movie star, I couldn’t have imagined the courage he would show in his later years as a director. In 2004, he took on Million Dollar Baby, the story of an under-appreciated boxing trainer, and an amateur female boxer. Showing no fear, he told the story of Iwo Jima from the Japanese point-of-view, in Letters from Iwo Jima. Eastwood’s latest effort Hereafter represents another risk in the sense that it’s a “French” movie (at least in terms of narrative and pacing) featuring a largely English-speaking cast.
Written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), Hereafter weaves three stories together and eventually they meet. As the film begins, a tsunami destroys a Southeast Asian island. Marie (Cecile De France), a Parisian newscaster, is vacationing there with her boss/boyfriend, Didier (Thierry Neuvic), when the waves arrive, and she suffers a near-death experience. Left with just a few bumps and bruises, Marie finds herself obsessed with the visions she witnessed during the near-death experience. Once a well respected investigative reporter, she takes a sabbatical and to investigate the experiences of others who have touched the hereafter and becomes a devout believer that the “here and now” is not all there is. When she expresses her desire to write a book about it, she isn’t well received.
George Lonegan (Matt Damon) is a San Francisco factory worker who left a profitable career as a psychic because he couldn’t stand living a life that consisted of contacting the dead. His brother, Billy (Jay Mohr), considers George’s ability to be a “gift.” But George views it as a “curse” – one that has robbed him of the ability to experience a normal life. His point is proven when a budding relationship with his cooking class partner, Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard), goes awry once she learns of his ability and pleads for a reading.
In the U.K., twins Marcus and Jason (Frankie and George McLaren) are trying to keep their family together. Social Services wants to take them from their drug addicted mother. Tragedy strikes; while picking up a prescription for his mother, Jason is run down in the street. His death leaves Marcus devastated and in need of closure. Hoping to make contact with Jason beyond the grave, he begins seeking out psychics, but it doesn’t take long for him to determine they’re all frauds.
Hereafter moves slowly. Its methodical nature may not appeal to everyone. Very much a character driven story, those expecting scenes like the opening tsunami may find themselves fidgeting throughout. Hereafter isn’t preachy, instead, Eastwood guides viewers through a world where some kind of afterlife appears to exist and some people long to know more.
The film is framed at 2.40:1 and presented in 1080p with the AVC codec. Black levels, contrast, color and sharpness are very good across the board, showing off the depth and mood of Tom Stern’s l cinematography to great effect. Viewers should also be impressed by the transfer’s level of detail, all without signs of digital sharpening or noise reduction. Some might notice spots of distortion or softness to the image, but this appears inherent to the source.
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is clear and intelligible. Deep and powerful LFE cues are present whenever George makes a psychic connection. Surround effects – both atmospheric and environmental – are seamless and exceptionally balanced throughout.
We get the following special features:
- Step Into the ‘Hereafter’ Focus Points (HD, 42 min.) — Nine different segments are presented. You can watch them as their own separate special feature, or there’s an option to seamlessly integrate them into the movie as you watch. The segments cover just about everything you could want to know about the movie’s production from the creation of the tidal wave to the movie’s casting. Eastwood is a regular in the featurettes, which is nice because we don’t get any commentary from him here.
- · ‘The Eastwood Factor: Extended Version’ (HD, 129 min.) —The case announces that this is the first time ever that ‘The Eastwood Factor’ documentary has been presented in hi-def. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, directed by Richard Schickel, this far-reaching documentary covers just about every facet of Eastwood’s long and illustrious career. Clocking in at a runtime that is exactly the same as the feature film on this disc, it’s like you’re getting two movies for one. This is a fascinating, insightful journey through Eastwood’s career.
- Standard DVD.
- Digital Copy.
