Hereafter

Three widely different people—a French TV journalist (Cécile De France), a San Francisco blue-collar psychic (Matt Damon) and an English schoolboy (Frankie and George McLaren) whose identical twin is killed in traffic—wrestle in different ways with the concept of an afterlife. Written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) and directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie begins with the kind of scene most pictures build up to: the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, in which the Frenchwoman is engulfed and has a near-death experience. After that eye-opening slap in the face, things settle down to an oddly lyrical and tender meditation on what lies beyond. Eastwood and Morgan take their time, gently unfolding their three-sided story; the result is at once comforting and unsettling, both in the best possible way.