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Show "Hereafter" Begs the Age-old Question of What Happens to Us When We Die The Casual Critic by Daryl Austin "Hereafter" Probably the most difficult diffi-cult part of my job as a critic is having to say anything negative about the films done by the Hollywood Hol-lywood directors I respect most. Clint Eastwood, (Gran Torino, Unforgiven) is certainly one of the greatest big-screen directors of our day. With film after film, he never ceases to amaze and inspire in-spire me. . .until "Hereafter" anyway. any-way. "Hereafter" begs the age-old age-old question of what happens to us when we die. Yet, ironically, the movie doesn't seem to have an answer to its own question. Most of the film is about death and how the loss of a loved one may affect you, but you never really re-ally see anything beyond this life and into the next. Furthermore , the film builds and builds to the kind of ending you hope will be there but never really arrives. "Hereafter" follows three stories: One of a psychic, (Matt Damon, The Bourne Trilogy, In-victus) In-victus) who has a genuine ability to communicate with the dead, another of a famous French news reporter who has recently had a near-death experience, and lasdy of a young boy who has just lost his twin brother and aches for his return. As Eastwood explores these perspectives of death, you find yourself intrigued by each story. You also realize that you aie truly tru-ly invested in the well-being of each struggling character. This is one of the many skills Eastwood East-wood has mastered. He makes you care. But in spite of your concern for the characters, too little happens too slowly. Of course, "Hereafter" is beautifully directed, and there are sincere and appropriate performances per-formances by everyone. The story even has great moments, but it simply isn't enough, and soon you find yourself worrying that you might actually end up in the hereafter yourself before you finally reach the end of this film. Content: Rated PG-13 for one use of the "f word" and an opening sequence involving a t scene of mass destruction . Other Opinions: 648 "Average "Aver-age Joes" give this film an 8.3 out of 10 while 136 professional film critics provide an average score of 51 percent out of 100 percent. Should you see it? If you have been affected by death in an intimate way then "Hereafter" "Hereaf-ter" will certainly have moments of personal significance that will touch you. If you are looking to be entertained though, than I'd steer clear of this one because you probably won't be. For previous reviews please click www.casualcriticmovies . com. |