Three Plots, Scant Story

Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter� tells the story of three people who have more than the usual interest in death and the possibility of a subsequent existence.

   Marie Lelay (Cecile De France) is a French television journalist who has a near-death experience after getting caught in a tsunami in Thailand. Her glimpses of the afterlife continue to obsess her afterward, causing professional and personal difficulties.

   Marcus (played by either Frankie or George McLaren, both are credited) is about 10 years old and the younger, quieter twin son of a London heroin addict; his quick-witted brother Jason is killed in an accident, and Marcus embarks on a quest for answers.

   George Lonegan (Matt Damon) is a psychic who lives in San Francisco. He can make a connection for someone seeking to communicate with the dearly departed; he tried making money with his gift but decided it was more of a curse and went to work instead on a loading dock. He’s quiet and pleasant, but has no life because every time he grasps someone’s hand he’s in psychic territory.

   The film follows these three disparate characters, slowly, as they muddle through their lives, nagged, troubled and otherwise dominated by their curiosity and pain.

   They all wind up in London at a book fair.

   Marie has written a book about her experience, George is taking some time off, and Marcus is busy evading his foster parents and checking out quack psychics.

   Marcus eventually pesters George into doing a “reading.â€� George eventually gets together with Marie. Things look pretty good.

   And that’s the problem with this film — it doesn’t really have a point, and takes two hours and change to get there.

   Any one of the three plot lines could be films in their own right. They could have been combined in some manner that provided a payoff for the viewer.

   But instead, “Hereafterâ€� is three extended vignettes — skillfully done, but never cohering into a story.

   Eastwood is a straightforward director. “Invictusâ€� and “Gran Torinoâ€� were tight, disciplined films. Maybe the ethereal nature of the material makes “Hereafterâ€� such a dud.

   Eastwood is also the most unobtrusive major director working today. He is the cinematic equivalent of a veteran baseball umpire — the audience never notices him as long as he’s doing his job properly.

He gets terrific performances from his actors. His special effects are used carefully and sparingly (the tsunami sequence is terrifying without being sensational).

   And this serves him well — usually. But all the good will and talent in this world — or the next — can’t save “Hereafterâ€� from itself.

“Hereafter,â€� which is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including disturbing disaster and accident images, and for brief strong language, is playing widely  throughout the tri-state area.

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