Writer: Lai Swee Wei

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Watch this if you liked: “Million Dollar Baby”

In director Clint Eastwood's second collaboration with Matt Damon, the drama is sombre and thought-provoking, exploring three different situations on how people approach death and the affect it has on the way they approach life.

In America, George (Matt Damon) is a former psychic cursed with the ability to communicate with the dead. "Ghost Whisperer", anyone? His ability consistently gets in the way of the life he yearns for and so he tries to move away from his past profession, as he says - "A life that's all about death is no life at all". In France, a popular newscaster (Cecile De France) begins to see visions of the afterlife after surviving a tsunami and goes all out to pursue the meaning. Meanwhile in London, a young boy (Frankie McClaren) finds himself lost after his twin brother is killed in a road accident, leaving him desperately searching for a way to talk to him.

Despite the film's tacky opening tsunami sequence, which seemed to be a "2012" rip-off, "Hereafter" manages to engage your attention and pull you at heart strings whenever possible, making you feel the hardships these characters encounter. Perhaps the most moving journey was McClaren's story as the young child sinks deep in mourning, unwilling to socialise and constantly holding onto his deceased brother's cap in order to feel a sense of comfort that his brother is still around. However, the pacing of and transition between these three stories seems rather random and inconsequential.

Apart from all the emotions, it also throws in a couple of amusing scenes to counter the gloomy atmosphere namely George's potential romance with a woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) during cookery class, his eye-opening tour at the Charles Dickens Museum, and the young boy's quest on experimenting with different methods of communication with his dead brother.

Acting wise, Matt Damon delivers an excellent performance together with the other cast members, except for maybe Bryce Dallas Howard as she makes a bizarre contribution - unconvincing and absolutely annoying as she flirts with Matt Damon's character.

In the end, "Hereafter"'s optimistic finale did not quite boast the impact it should, thus coming off short as a gripping drama.

Cinema Online, 27 January 2011