Hereafter

Death: it's always there, waiting for you, waiting for us all.  Some of your loved ones will surely die before you do, and leave you in unexpected ways, leaving unresolved issues stemming from such relationships. George (Matt Damon) is a psychic, bless/cursed with the ability to connect with people and their loved ones in the hereafter upon their deaths.  George struggles with his "gift" which sabotages his own inter-personal connections, making for a lonely life.  Marie, a French journalist with a rising star in the news show arena, has her own recent experiences with death, and her struggles to deal with it exact a professional cost.  Marcus, an English boy, also touched by an unexpected death and becomes psychologically adrift from the event after his home life has had the rug pullled out from under him.

This, perhaps, is Clint Eastwood's most "European"-flavored piece of filmmaking, and it's not just about the locales, but the style, the pacing, the flow of the various plotlines that intertwine and propel themselves at the pace of living.  It's one of those "it's the journey, not the destination" type of film that feels a bit on a slow side, but it does have a nice, mellow, but satisfying ending for a topic that seldom satisfies anyone.  It's not a frenetic ball of cinematic energy, but rather it just peels away, very methodically, layers of vulnerabilities until each character's truth finds its own way through.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it'll give you something to mull about afterwards.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.