Hereafter (film)
Encyclopedia
Hereafter is a 2010 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood
, from a screenplay by Peter Morgan
and produced by Steven Spielberg
. The film tells three parallel stories about three people affected by death in similar ways - all three have issues of communicating with the dead; Matt Damon
plays American factory worker George, who is able to communicate with the dead - who has worked professionally as a Clairvoyant but no longer wants to communicate with the dead; Cécile de France
plays French
television journalist Marie, who survives a near-death experience during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; and twins Marcus and Jason (played by Frankie and George McLaren), British
boys touched by tragedy when Jason dies. Bryce Dallas Howard
, Lyndsey Marshal
, Jay Mohr
, and Thierry Neuvic
have supporting roles.
Morgan sold the script on spec
to DreamWorks
in 2008, but it transferred to Warner Bros.
by the time Eastwood (who has a long-standing relationship with Warner Bros.) had signed on to direct in 2009. Principal photography ran from October 2009 to February 2010 on locations in London
, San Francisco, Paris
, and Hawaii
.
Hereafter premiered as a "Special Presentation" at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
in September 2010. The film was given a limited release
on October 15, 2010; the film was released across North America on October 22, 2010.
, French television journalist Marie Lelay (Cécile de France
) is shopping for souvenirs for her lover's children. Back in a hotel room, her lover Didier (Thierry Neuvic
) looks over the balcony and witnesses the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami coming onshore; it hits as Marie watches from a distance. She runs away from the shore while trying to save a little girl, but they are both quickly swallowed by the wave. Pulled lifeless from the water, she is resuscitated by rescuers, but is left for dead. She gasps back to life after having a near-death experience
in which she sees a vision of human figures inhabiting a realm of light, among them the silhouettes of the girl and her mother holding hands. Marie and Didier reunite in the aftermath of the disaster.
The story then turns to San Francisco
where former professional psychic
George Lonegan (Matt Damon
) is persuaded against his wishes to perform a reading for Christos (Richard Kind
), a wealthy client of his brother Billy (Jay Mohr
). A genuine medium
with a gift for communicating with the dead, George abandoned his old career because he was unable to deal with the emotional impact of the reunions and the often disturbingly intimate family secrets revealed. While doing the reading, George hears the word June and asks if a date in June means anything to him. Christos at first denies that it means anything, but privately reveals to Billy that June was the name of his late wife's nurse, whom he was in love with for 10 years.
Billy pressures George to get back into the business of doing readings; he insists that George has a "gift" and an obligation to help people. George explains that his "gift" is actually a curse, and that the process is extremely painful for him.
In London
, 12-year-old twins Marcus and Jason (Frankie and George McLaren) try desperately to prevent social services from taking them away from their mother, Jackie (Lyndsey Marshal
), a heroin addict. After evading the authorities yet again, Jackie sends Jason to the chemist to pick up her detox
prescription. On the way home, Jason is attacked by street thugs, and while trying to escape, he is hit by a van and killed.
Marie returns to Paris, her experience, however, interferes with her work to the point that Didier, who is also her producer. sends her on a leave of absence to write the book they've discussed, which would add to her prestige.
George enrolls in a cooking class taught by one of San Francisco's leading chefs. Its students are paired-up, resulting in George being partnered with a young woman named Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard
). The two soon hit it off. He returns to his apartment when confronted by a neighbor of Christos. She begs for him to perform a psychic reading in order to talk to her baby again but he refuses.
No longer able to protect his mother, and barely able to cope with life without the brother he idolizes, Marcus is sent to a foster home.
Marie sells her idea of a new book and receives complete backing for the book. She celebrates by going to dinner and asks her lover what he thinks happens when they die. He answers that its "lights out" and nothing else. Marie believes that there may be a hereafter where there is life on the other side.
After attending their second class, George and Melanie decide to put their new culinary skills to use by preparing an Italian dinner at George's place. All goes well until they hear an ill-timed phone message from his brother, which inclines George to reveal his past as a psychic to Melanie. He explains how he fell ill as a child and that during surgery to save him, he suffered brain damage which left him with migraines and the psychic ability, which doctors diagnosed as a form of schizophrenia
. He has medication to stop the visions, but does not take it because it robs him of the ability to feel anything. Curious, she presses George to do a reading for her. George explains his reluctance, since he knows it will destroy any chances for a relationship between them. Melanie is insistent, however, and George acquiesces. They contact the spirit of Melanie's mother and father, who ends the session by asking her forgiveness for what he did to her as a child. Melanie flees George's home in tears. Saddened, George toys with the idea of taking the medication but instead just deals with his sadness and difficulty with sleeping by listening to audiobook versions of Charles Dickens
novels as read by Derek Jacobi
.
Marcus moves in with his foster family but still does not speak to anyone. He is distant at school and barely does much of anything.He becomes hopeful that there is some way to talk to his brother again.
Now writing a book and with more time to contemplate her near-death experience, Marie travels to Switzerland
to meet a renowned specialist in the field. As the director of a hospice who has seen her share of dying patients, the doctor describes herself as a former atheist who was convinced by evidence experienced by Marie through her patients that the afterlife exists and that people like Marie have had a genuine view of it. She persuades Marie to write a book on her experience in the hope that the scientific community
will ultimately accept the reality of life beyond death.
George is laid off from his factory job, and is persuaded by Billy to revive his psychic practice. At the next cooking class, Melanie does not show up.
Desperate for one last reunion with his twin brother, Marcus steals money from his foster parents and goes around London seeking psychics to help him contact Jason. Most of the mediums he encounters are either outright fraudsters, or their methods don't work. While he is trying to board the underground
at Charing Cross
, Jason's cap, which has become a talisman for Marcus, blows off his head. Delayed by trying to find the cap, he misses his train and sees it explode in the tunnel during the 2005 London Bombings
.
Having been in talks with a publisher before her trip to Thailand about a biography of François Mitterrand
, Marie now stuns them with her new manuscript entitled "Hereafter: A Conspiracy of Silence". The publisher rejects the manuscript, insisting that his company only publishes books with political themes and that her switching the content is unacceptable. Marie leaves her office humiliated.
Later that evening at dinner with Didier, Marie recounts her humiliation at the publisher's office, lamenting that she should just write her book as a hobby on her own time and return to work at the television show. Didier is evasive and Marie learns that he does not intend on having her back at the job from which he urged her to take leave, claiming her public interest in the hereafter damages her reputation as a serious journalist. Stunned and hurt, she asks if he is having an affair with the woman who has replaced her on the TV news program. He responds with telling silence, and she abruptly leaves the restaurant. Just as she arrives, totally dejected, back at her apartment, the publisher calls to tell her that he knows of two publishers who would be interested in her book. She sends out manuscripts to the two publishers the next day.
Still convinced that his ability is a curse, George abandons Billy and his plans for a psychic business and leaves San Francisco for London. There, he visits the Dickens House and learns of a live reading of Dickens by Derek Jacobi that same day at the London Book Fair
. While there, he meets Marie who is at the fair promoting and signing her book. Hereafter. While handing a signed copy of her book to George, their hands touch and George has a psychic flash of Marie's near-death experience.
Marcus and his foster parents are also at the London Book Fair to meet their older son. While there, Marcus spots George whom he remembered back from when he was searching for psychics online. Marcus attempts to speak with George, who brushes him off and returns to his hotel. Undeterred, Marcus follows him back and stands vigil outside his window until George eventually agrees to do his reading.
Through George, Jason tells Marcus that he is happy in the afterlife. He instructs Marcus to stop wearing his cap and says that is why he knocked it off his head at the train station, which had the side effect of saving him from the bomb. Jason tells Marcus he must now stand on his own but not to fear this "because we are one". Marcus later visits his mother in a rehabilitation center. She is visibly better, and he is not wearing Jason's cap.
As compensation for helping him, Marcus lets George know where Marie is staying. George visits the hotel and leaves an anonymous note for Marie, saying he believes her book to be true. She decides to join the anonymous fan for lunch and discovers George. While she is looking for him, George sees a vision of them kissing at the same meeting. The film ends with the two just sitting down to talk.
wrote the script on spec
, and it was bought by DreamWorks
in March 2008. The deal was reportedly worth a "low-seven-figure advance". Executive producer Steven Spielberg
was initially concerned that the low-key ending to the script would put audiences off the film, so Morgan rewrote it to be grander. However, subsequent drafts restored the original ending. Following its split from Paramount Pictures
, DreamWorks retained the script, and began talks with Clint Eastwood to direct. Eastwood was signed on in November 2008. By the time of Matt Damon's casting in 2009, the script was being developed under the supervision of Eastwood's Malpaso Productions
for Warner Bros. Eastwood was attracted to the script because he was keen to direct a supernatural thriller, and liked how Morgan incorporated real-world events into fiction. Eastwood told LA Weekly
, "There's a certain charlatan aspect to the hereafter, to those who prey on people's beliefs that there's some afterlife, and mankind doesn't seem to be willing to accept that this is your life and you should do the best you can with it and enjoy it while you’re here, and that'll be enough. There has to be immortality or eternal life and embracing some religious thing. I don't have the answer. Maybe there is a hereafter, but I don't know, so I approach it by not knowing. I just tell the story."
Production was based in the United Kingdom
, due to tax incentives and funding from the UK Film Council
, though filming locations spanned three countries. Filming commenced in France
on October 19, 2009. A days filming was done at the old Belle Epoque, Le Grand Hôtel-Restaurant du Montenvers, in the village of Planet, near Chamonix
. The hotel building was transformed into a Swiss hospice for scenes between Cécile de France and Marthe Keller
. A cordon was set up around the area to prevent local residents and paparazzi taking photographs of the set, though the mayor of Chamonix was allowed through for a brief meeting with Eastwood. Production then moved to Paris for four days. On October 21, a short scene between de France and Mylène Jampanoï
was filmed in a stairwell inside the France Télévisions
building.
In the first week of November, production moved to London
for three weeks of filming in locations including Bermondsey
and in Walworth
. Scenes were also filmed on the Heygate Estate
. On November 7, scenes were filmed in Petticoat Lane Market
and at the Cafe Le Jardin in Bell Lane. Scenes were also filmed in an auditorium at Red Lion Square
and at Camberwell New Cemetery
. The room was redressed to represent a fictional Center For Psychic Advancement, which the Marcus character visits. After these scenes were shot, production was halted, as Matt Damon was working on another film.
Filming resumed on January 12, 2010; Eastwood filmed scenes with de France for three days on the Hawaiian island of Maui
. On the first day, scenes were filmed in the lobby and guest rooms of the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali
. On January 13, scenes were filmed on Front Street in Lahaina. A hundred crew worked on the scenes. The location managers were given permission by Lahaina authorities to close a small section of the street in order to film scenes depicting "an unnamed, South Pacific-type (Correction: The Tsunami occurred in the greater Indian Ocean basin not the South Pacific) outdoor marketplace, complete with outdoor shopping stalls and street vendors". The location manager explained to the Lahaina News, "Front Street's proximity to the water and the architecture of its buildings help supply a look that will require much less transformation towards this goal than other locations which were under consideration". The street was closed off to vehicles on the evening of January 12. The scene—the first scene of the film—depicts Cécile de France's character coming out of her hotel just as a tsunami hits the island. The aftermath of the tsunami was filmed on January 14 at a property in Kapalua
. de France filmed scenes of her character in the floodwaters while in England.
Production next moved to the San Francisco Bay Area
. On January 19, scenes featuring Damon were shot at the California and Hawaiian Sugar Company
refinery in Crockett, California
, and the exterior of C&H Sugar is seen on screen. The location was not announced until filming had concluded, for fear that large crowds would gather to watch. Filming also took place in Nob Hill, San Francisco and Emeryville
. While production was in the Bay Area, it employed 300 local extras and crew members. Production returned to London on January 29 to shoot Damon's final scenes. On February 3, scenes were filmed at the Charles Dickens Museum. Later in the month, the London Book Fair
was recreated inside the Alexandra Palace
for a scene featuring George and Marie. Publishers including Random House
had their stands built for the three-day shoot, two months before the real London Book Fair took place. Filming wrapped afterwards.
Visual effects work was carried out by Los Angeles-based Scanline VFX
. 169 effects were created, the key sequence of which was the tsunami, which features "full CG water shots and CG water extensions to water plates, digital doubles, CG set extensions, matte paintings, digital make-up fx and full CG environments with extensive destruction, from toppling digital palm trees to colliding digital cars". An effect described as the "hereafter effect" also appears, "[giving] the viewer glimpses into the afterlife".
announced that Hereafter would go on general release in the United States and Canada on October 22, 2010.
A pre-release screening of Hereafter was held on August 10, 2010. The film had its world premiere on September 12, 2010 at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
. The theatrical trailer was attached to The Town
and Life as We Know It
. Hereafter was also screened on October 10, 2010 as the Closing Night Film of the 48th New York Film Festival
. The film was given a limited release on October 15, 2010.
The film premiered in Japan on February 19, 2011.
A few days after the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan
, the film was withdrawn from all cinemas in that country, two weeks earlier than originally planned. "Warner Bros.
spokesperson Satoru Otani said the film's terrifying tsunami scenes were 'not appropriate' at this time."
reports that 46% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 151 reviews, with an average score of 5.8/10. The critical consensus is: "Despite a thought-provoking premise and Clint Eastwood's typical flair as director, Hereafter fails to generate much compelling drama, straddling the line between poignant sentimentality and hokey tedium." Metacritic
, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 56/100 based on 41 reviews. Roger Ebert
, however, gave the film four stars (out of four), calling it a film that "considers the idea of an afterlife with tenderness, beauty and a gentle tact. I was surprised to find it enthralling."
The film received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, But lost to another Warner Bros. film, Inception
.
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, from a screenplay by Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan may refer to:* Peter Morgan , British sports car manufacturer* Peter Morgan , 1978 British Formula Ford champion* Peter Morgan , Wales and British lions international...
and produced by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
. The film tells three parallel stories about three people affected by death in similar ways - all three have issues of communicating with the dead; Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
plays American factory worker George, who is able to communicate with the dead - who has worked professionally as a Clairvoyant but no longer wants to communicate with the dead; Cécile de France
Cécile de France
Cécile de France is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as L'Art de la séduction and Irène , she gained international attention for her lead role in Haute Tension and Hereafter .- Career :Born in Namur, she left Belgium at the age of 17 to go to Paris where she...
plays French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
television journalist Marie, who survives a near-death experience during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; and twins Marcus and Jason (played by Frankie and George McLaren), British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
boys touched by tragedy when Jason dies. Bryce Dallas Howard
Bryce Dallas Howard
Bryce Dallas Howard is an American film actress and daughter of director Ron Howard. She made her acting debut in her father's 1989 movie Parenthood and went on to have small roles in films and make stage appearances for the next several years...
, Lyndsey Marshal
Lyndsey Marshal
Lyndsey Marshal is an English actress best known for her performance in The Hours as the recurring character Cleopatra on HBO's Rome, and as Lady Sarah Hill in BBC period drama Garrow's Law.-Biography:...
, Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
, and Thierry Neuvic
Thierry Neuvic
Thierry Neuvic is a French actor. He has appeared in 32 films and television shows since 1996. He starred in the film Code Unknown, which was entered into the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.- Selected Filmography :-External links:...
have supporting roles.
Morgan sold the script on spec
Spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
to DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
in 2008, but it transferred to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
by the time Eastwood (who has a long-standing relationship with Warner Bros.) had signed on to direct in 2009. Principal photography ran from October 2009 to February 2010 on locations in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, San Francisco, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Hereafter premiered as a "Special Presentation" at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
2010 Toronto International Film Festival
The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented Score: A Hockey Musical, a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. Last Night closed the festival on September 19.2010 TIFF included...
in September 2010. The film was given a limited release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
on October 15, 2010; the film was released across North America on October 22, 2010.
Plot
On assignment in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, French television journalist Marie Lelay (Cécile de France
Cécile de France
Cécile de France is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as L'Art de la séduction and Irène , she gained international attention for her lead role in Haute Tension and Hereafter .- Career :Born in Namur, she left Belgium at the age of 17 to go to Paris where she...
) is shopping for souvenirs for her lover's children. Back in a hotel room, her lover Didier (Thierry Neuvic
Thierry Neuvic
Thierry Neuvic is a French actor. He has appeared in 32 films and television shows since 1996. He starred in the film Code Unknown, which was entered into the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.- Selected Filmography :-External links:...
) looks over the balcony and witnesses the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami coming onshore; it hits as Marie watches from a distance. She runs away from the shore while trying to save a little girl, but they are both quickly swallowed by the wave. Pulled lifeless from the water, she is resuscitated by rescuers, but is left for dead. She gasps back to life after having a near-death experience
Near death experience
A near-death experience refers to a broad range of personal experiences associated with impending death, encompassing multiple possible sensations including detachment from the body; feelings of levitation; extreme fear; total serenity, security, or warmth; the experience of absolute dissolution;...
in which she sees a vision of human figures inhabiting a realm of light, among them the silhouettes of the girl and her mother holding hands. Marie and Didier reunite in the aftermath of the disaster.
The story then turns to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
where former professional psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
George Lonegan (Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
) is persuaded against his wishes to perform a reading for Christos (Richard Kind
Richard Kind
Richard John Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :...
), a wealthy client of his brother Billy (Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
). A genuine medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
with a gift for communicating with the dead, George abandoned his old career because he was unable to deal with the emotional impact of the reunions and the often disturbingly intimate family secrets revealed. While doing the reading, George hears the word June and asks if a date in June means anything to him. Christos at first denies that it means anything, but privately reveals to Billy that June was the name of his late wife's nurse, whom he was in love with for 10 years.
Billy pressures George to get back into the business of doing readings; he insists that George has a "gift" and an obligation to help people. George explains that his "gift" is actually a curse, and that the process is extremely painful for him.
In London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 12-year-old twins Marcus and Jason (Frankie and George McLaren) try desperately to prevent social services from taking them away from their mother, Jackie (Lyndsey Marshal
Lyndsey Marshal
Lyndsey Marshal is an English actress best known for her performance in The Hours as the recurring character Cleopatra on HBO's Rome, and as Lady Sarah Hill in BBC period drama Garrow's Law.-Biography:...
), a heroin addict. After evading the authorities yet again, Jackie sends Jason to the chemist to pick up her detox
Detox
Detoxification is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including, but not limited to, the human body and additionally can refer to the period of withdrawal during which an organism returns to homeostasis after long-term use of an addictive substance...
prescription. On the way home, Jason is attacked by street thugs, and while trying to escape, he is hit by a van and killed.
Marie returns to Paris, her experience, however, interferes with her work to the point that Didier, who is also her producer. sends her on a leave of absence to write the book they've discussed, which would add to her prestige.
George enrolls in a cooking class taught by one of San Francisco's leading chefs. Its students are paired-up, resulting in George being partnered with a young woman named Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard
Bryce Dallas Howard
Bryce Dallas Howard is an American film actress and daughter of director Ron Howard. She made her acting debut in her father's 1989 movie Parenthood and went on to have small roles in films and make stage appearances for the next several years...
). The two soon hit it off. He returns to his apartment when confronted by a neighbor of Christos. She begs for him to perform a psychic reading in order to talk to her baby again but he refuses.
No longer able to protect his mother, and barely able to cope with life without the brother he idolizes, Marcus is sent to a foster home.
Marie sells her idea of a new book and receives complete backing for the book. She celebrates by going to dinner and asks her lover what he thinks happens when they die. He answers that its "lights out" and nothing else. Marie believes that there may be a hereafter where there is life on the other side.
After attending their second class, George and Melanie decide to put their new culinary skills to use by preparing an Italian dinner at George's place. All goes well until they hear an ill-timed phone message from his brother, which inclines George to reveal his past as a psychic to Melanie. He explains how he fell ill as a child and that during surgery to save him, he suffered brain damage which left him with migraines and the psychic ability, which doctors diagnosed as a form of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. He has medication to stop the visions, but does not take it because it robs him of the ability to feel anything. Curious, she presses George to do a reading for her. George explains his reluctance, since he knows it will destroy any chances for a relationship between them. Melanie is insistent, however, and George acquiesces. They contact the spirit of Melanie's mother and father, who ends the session by asking her forgiveness for what he did to her as a child. Melanie flees George's home in tears. Saddened, George toys with the idea of taking the medication but instead just deals with his sadness and difficulty with sleeping by listening to audiobook versions of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
novels as read by Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
.
Marcus moves in with his foster family but still does not speak to anyone. He is distant at school and barely does much of anything.He becomes hopeful that there is some way to talk to his brother again.
Now writing a book and with more time to contemplate her near-death experience, Marie travels to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
to meet a renowned specialist in the field. As the director of a hospice who has seen her share of dying patients, the doctor describes herself as a former atheist who was convinced by evidence experienced by Marie through her patients that the afterlife exists and that people like Marie have had a genuine view of it. She persuades Marie to write a book on her experience in the hope that the scientific community
Scientific community
The scientific community consists of the total body of scientists, its relationships and interactions. It is normally divided into "sub-communities" each working on a particular field within science. Objectivity is expected to be achieved by the scientific method...
will ultimately accept the reality of life beyond death.
George is laid off from his factory job, and is persuaded by Billy to revive his psychic practice. At the next cooking class, Melanie does not show up.
Desperate for one last reunion with his twin brother, Marcus steals money from his foster parents and goes around London seeking psychics to help him contact Jason. Most of the mediums he encounters are either outright fraudsters, or their methods don't work. While he is trying to board the underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
at Charing Cross
Charing Cross tube station
Charing Cross tube station is a London Underground station at Charing Cross in the City of Westminster with entrances located in Trafalgar Square and The Strand. The station is served by the Northern and Bakerloo lines and provides an interchange with the National Rail network at station...
, Jason's cap, which has become a talisman for Marcus, blows off his head. Delayed by trying to find the cap, he misses his train and sees it explode in the tunnel during the 2005 London Bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
.
Having been in talks with a publisher before her trip to Thailand about a biography of François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
, Marie now stuns them with her new manuscript entitled "Hereafter: A Conspiracy of Silence". The publisher rejects the manuscript, insisting that his company only publishes books with political themes and that her switching the content is unacceptable. Marie leaves her office humiliated.
Later that evening at dinner with Didier, Marie recounts her humiliation at the publisher's office, lamenting that she should just write her book as a hobby on her own time and return to work at the television show. Didier is evasive and Marie learns that he does not intend on having her back at the job from which he urged her to take leave, claiming her public interest in the hereafter damages her reputation as a serious journalist. Stunned and hurt, she asks if he is having an affair with the woman who has replaced her on the TV news program. He responds with telling silence, and she abruptly leaves the restaurant. Just as she arrives, totally dejected, back at her apartment, the publisher calls to tell her that he knows of two publishers who would be interested in her book. She sends out manuscripts to the two publishers the next day.
Still convinced that his ability is a curse, George abandons Billy and his plans for a psychic business and leaves San Francisco for London. There, he visits the Dickens House and learns of a live reading of Dickens by Derek Jacobi that same day at the London Book Fair
London Book Fair
The London Book Fair is a large book-publishing trade fair held annually, usually in April, in London, England. The London Book Fair has grown in size and importance in recent years, and 23,000 publishers, booksellers, literary agents, librarians, media and industry suppliers from over 100...
. While there, he meets Marie who is at the fair promoting and signing her book. Hereafter. While handing a signed copy of her book to George, their hands touch and George has a psychic flash of Marie's near-death experience.
Marcus and his foster parents are also at the London Book Fair to meet their older son. While there, Marcus spots George whom he remembered back from when he was searching for psychics online. Marcus attempts to speak with George, who brushes him off and returns to his hotel. Undeterred, Marcus follows him back and stands vigil outside his window until George eventually agrees to do his reading.
Through George, Jason tells Marcus that he is happy in the afterlife. He instructs Marcus to stop wearing his cap and says that is why he knocked it off his head at the train station, which had the side effect of saving him from the bomb. Jason tells Marcus he must now stand on his own but not to fear this "because we are one". Marcus later visits his mother in a rehabilitation center. She is visibly better, and he is not wearing Jason's cap.
As compensation for helping him, Marcus lets George know where Marie is staying. George visits the hotel and leaves an anonymous note for Marie, saying he believes her book to be true. She decides to join the anonymous fan for lunch and discovers George. While she is looking for him, George sees a vision of them kissing at the same meeting. The film ends with the two just sitting down to talk.
Cast
- Matt DamonMatt DamonMatthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
as George Lonegan, an American factory worker and "a reluctant psychicPsychicA psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
[...] who can speak to the dead but prefers not to". Damon previously starred in Eastwood's InvictusInvictus (film)Invictus is a 2009 biographical sports drama film directed by Clint Eastwood starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.The story is based on the John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World...
, and was cast in Hereafter because Eastwood was so impressed by him. The original Hereafter production schedule clashed with Damon's filming commitments to The Adjustment BureauThe Adjustment BureauThe Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 American fantasy romantic thriller film loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story, "Adjustment Team". The film was written and directed by George Nolfi and stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. The cast also includes Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly,...
, so he emailed Eastwood, suggesting that the director recast the role of George for either Christian BaleChristian BaleChristian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
, Casey AffleckCasey AffleckCaleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt , better known as Casey Affleck, is an American actor and film director. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he played supporting roles in mainstream hits like Good Will Hunting and Ocean's Eleven as well as in critically acclaimed independent films such as...
, Hayden ChristensenHayden ChristensenHayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
or Josh BrolinJosh BrolinJosh James Brolin is an American actor. He has acted in theater, film and television roles since 1985, and won acting awards for his roles in the films W., No Country for Old Men, Milk and True Grit.-Early life:...
. Instead, Eastwood altered the filming schedule to accommodate Damon, and the actor was able to complete both films. - Cécile de FranceCécile de FranceCécile de France is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as L'Art de la séduction and Irène , she gained international attention for her lead role in Haute Tension and Hereafter .- Career :Born in Namur, she left Belgium at the age of 17 to go to Paris where she...
as Marie Lelay, a French television journalist who survives a tsunamiTsunamiA tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
. - Frankie and George McLaren as Marcus and Jason, twin brothers. Jason is killed in a car accident early in the film, and Marcus later attempts to contact him in the afterlife. Eastwood selected the two actors to play the brothers despite them having never acted before because he did not want "child actors who'd been over-instructed in Child Acting 101."
- Lyndsey MarshalLyndsey MarshalLyndsey Marshal is an English actress best known for her performance in The Hours as the recurring character Cleopatra on HBO's Rome, and as Lady Sarah Hill in BBC period drama Garrow's Law.-Biography:...
as Jackie, Marcus and Jason's mother, a heroin addict. - Thierry NeuvicThierry NeuvicThierry Neuvic is a French actor. He has appeared in 32 films and television shows since 1996. He starred in the film Code Unknown, which was entered into the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.- Selected Filmography :-External links:...
as Didier, Marie's lover. Neuvic was on holiday in CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
in September 2009 when he was called to audition for a role in the film. His audition, which took place at a Paris hotel, lasted 15 minutes, and he read two scenes for Eastwood. Most of Neuvic's scenes were filmed in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. - Jay MohrJay MohrJay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
as Billy Lonegan, George's older brother. - Bryce Dallas HowardBryce Dallas HowardBryce Dallas Howard is an American film actress and daughter of director Ron Howard. She made her acting debut in her father's 1989 movie Parenthood and went on to have small roles in films and make stage appearances for the next several years...
as Melanie, a woman with whom George tries to start a relationship. - Mylène JampanoïMylène Jampanoï-Biography:Mylène Jampanoï was born on 12 July 1980 in Aix-en-Provence, France. She has a Chinese father and French mother. She married Indian model and actor Milind Soman in Goa in 2006. They met during the shooting of their film Valley of Flowers. The two divorced in 2009...
as Reporter Jasmine - Marthe KellerMarthe KellerMarthe Keller is a Swiss actress and opera director. She studied ballet as a child, but stopped after a skiing accident at age 16...
as a doctor and the director of a hospice in Switzerland who speaks with Marie. - Derek JacobiDerek JacobiSir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
appears as himself. He reads Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' Little DorritLittle DorritLittle Dorrit is a serial novel by Charles Dickens published originally between 1855 and 1857. It is a work of satire on the shortcomings of the government and society of the period....
at the London Book Fair. - Niamh CusackNiamh CusackNiamh Cusack is an Irish actress. The daughter of late Irish actor Cyril Cusack, she is the sister of Sinéad Cusack and Sorcha Cusack, and half sister of Catherine Cusack. Cusack played Dr Kate Rowan in the television drama series Heartbeat...
as Marcus' foster mother - George CostiganGeorge Costigan-Early life:Costigan was born in Portsmouth and grew up in Irlams o' th' Height and Weaste in Salford. He attended St. Augustine's C of E Primary School on Bolton Road in Pendlebury, then Wardley Grammar School on Mardale Avenue in Wardley near Swinton.-Career:...
as Marcus' foster father - Richard KindRichard KindRichard John Kind is an American actor known for his roles in the sitcoms Mad About You and Spin City .- Early life :...
as Christos Andryo, a wealthy client of Billy's who asks Billy for George's psychic assistance to communicate with his late wife. - Jean-Yves BertelootJean-Yves Berteloot-Film:-Television:- External links :...
as Michel, Marie's publisher. - Steven R. Schirripa as Carlos, the cooking instructor
- Jenifer LewisJenifer LewisJenifer Jeanette Lewis is an American film and television actress and singer.-Early life:Lewis was born in Kinloch, Missouri, to a nurse's aid mother and a factory worker father. She attended college at Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri...
as Candace, Christos' neighbor of whom he tells about George's psychic reading; she comes to ask for his assistance in contacting her dead child. - Mathew BayntonMathew BayntonMathew Baynton is an English actor and writer. He stars in the UK television series Horrible Histories as a singer, actor and writer. He also played Deano in Gavin & Stacey. Mat is also in the band Special Benny and also has a separate solo career under the name of Dog Ears...
as a College Receptionist
Production
Peter MorganPeter Morgan
Peter Morgan may refer to:* Peter Morgan , British sports car manufacturer* Peter Morgan , 1978 British Formula Ford champion* Peter Morgan , Wales and British lions international...
wrote the script on spec
Spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
, and it was bought by DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
in March 2008. The deal was reportedly worth a "low-seven-figure advance". Executive producer Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
was initially concerned that the low-key ending to the script would put audiences off the film, so Morgan rewrote it to be grander. However, subsequent drafts restored the original ending. Following its split from Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, DreamWorks retained the script, and began talks with Clint Eastwood to direct. Eastwood was signed on in November 2008. By the time of Matt Damon's casting in 2009, the script was being developed under the supervision of Eastwood's Malpaso Productions
Malpaso Productions
Malpaso Productions, originally known as The Malpaso Company, is Clint Eastwood's production company. It was established in 1967 by Eastwood's financial adviser Irving Leonard for the film Hang 'Em High, using finances from the Dollars trilogy...
for Warner Bros. Eastwood was attracted to the script because he was keen to direct a supernatural thriller, and liked how Morgan incorporated real-world events into fiction. Eastwood told LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, "There's a certain charlatan aspect to the hereafter, to those who prey on people's beliefs that there's some afterlife, and mankind doesn't seem to be willing to accept that this is your life and you should do the best you can with it and enjoy it while you’re here, and that'll be enough. There has to be immortality or eternal life and embracing some religious thing. I don't have the answer. Maybe there is a hereafter, but I don't know, so I approach it by not knowing. I just tell the story."
Production was based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, due to tax incentives and funding from the UK Film Council
UK Film Council
The UK Film Council was set up in 2000 by the Labour Government as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee governed by a board of 15 directors and was funded through sources including the...
, though filming locations spanned three countries. Filming commenced in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on October 19, 2009. A days filming was done at the old Belle Epoque, Le Grand Hôtel-Restaurant du Montenvers, in the village of Planet, near Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
. The hotel building was transformed into a Swiss hospice for scenes between Cécile de France and Marthe Keller
Marthe Keller
Marthe Keller is a Swiss actress and opera director. She studied ballet as a child, but stopped after a skiing accident at age 16...
. A cordon was set up around the area to prevent local residents and paparazzi taking photographs of the set, though the mayor of Chamonix was allowed through for a brief meeting with Eastwood. Production then moved to Paris for four days. On October 21, a short scene between de France and Mylène Jampanoï
Mylène Jampanoï
-Biography:Mylène Jampanoï was born on 12 July 1980 in Aix-en-Provence, France. She has a Chinese father and French mother. She married Indian model and actor Milind Soman in Goa in 2006. They met during the shooting of their film Valley of Flowers. The two divorced in 2009...
was filmed in a stairwell inside the France Télévisions
France Télévisions
France Télévisions is the French public national television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the bringing together of the public television channels France 2 and France 3 , later joined by the legally independent channels France 5 , France Ô , and France 4 France Télévisions ...
building.
In the first week of November, production moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for three weeks of filming in locations including Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
and in Walworth
Walworth
-Places:United Kingdom* Walworth, County DurhamUnited States* Walworth County, South Dakota* Walworth County, Wisconsin* Walworth, New York* Walworth, Wisconsin, a village* Walworth , Wisconsin, a town...
. Scenes were also filmed on the Heygate Estate
Heygate Estate
The Heygate Estate is a large housing estate located in Walworth, Southwark, south London. The estate is currently under demolition.Heygate is one of the most high-profile estates in the United Kingdom, due to its notoriety and usage as a filming location...
. On November 7, scenes were filmed in Petticoat Lane Market
Petticoat Lane Market
Petticoat Lane Market is a fashion and clothing market located on Wentworth Street and Middlesex Street in East London.-The Modern Market:It is one of a number of traditional markets located to the east of the City of London. A few hundred yards to the north is Old Spitalfields market, which has...
and at the Cafe Le Jardin in Bell Lane. Scenes were also filmed in an auditorium at Red Lion Square
Red Lion Square
Red Lion Square is a small square on the boundary of Bloomsbury and Holborn in London. The square was laid out in 1698 by Nicholas Barbon, taking its name from the Red Lion Inn. According to some sources the bodies of three regicides - Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and Henry Ireton - were placed...
and at Camberwell New Cemetery
Camberwell Cemeteries
The two Camberwell cemeteries are within close proximity to one another in Honor Oak, South London, England. Both have noteworthy burials and architecture...
. The room was redressed to represent a fictional Center For Psychic Advancement, which the Marcus character visits. After these scenes were shot, production was halted, as Matt Damon was working on another film.
Filming resumed on January 12, 2010; Eastwood filmed scenes with de France for three days on the Hawaiian island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. On the first day, scenes were filmed in the lobby and guest rooms of the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali
Kaanapali, Hawaii
Kāanapali is a census-designated place in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 1,375 at the 2000 census. The master-planned town is located in the Old Hawaii ahupuaa of Hanakao`o, as in the same name of the southern end of Kaanapali Beach's Hanakao`o Canoe...
. On January 13, scenes were filmed on Front Street in Lahaina. A hundred crew worked on the scenes. The location managers were given permission by Lahaina authorities to close a small section of the street in order to film scenes depicting "an unnamed, South Pacific-type (Correction: The Tsunami occurred in the greater Indian Ocean basin not the South Pacific) outdoor marketplace, complete with outdoor shopping stalls and street vendors". The location manager explained to the Lahaina News, "Front Street's proximity to the water and the architecture of its buildings help supply a look that will require much less transformation towards this goal than other locations which were under consideration". The street was closed off to vehicles on the evening of January 12. The scene—the first scene of the film—depicts Cécile de France's character coming out of her hotel just as a tsunami hits the island. The aftermath of the tsunami was filmed on January 14 at a property in Kapalua
Kapalua, Hawaii
Kapalua is a census-designated place in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. A resort development by the Maui Land & Pineapple Company extends inland from Kapalua Bay and Honolua Bay. The population was 467 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. de France filmed scenes of her character in the floodwaters while in England.
Production next moved to the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. On January 19, scenes featuring Damon were shot at the California and Hawaiian Sugar Company
California and Hawaiian Sugar Company
California and Hawaiian Sugar Company was founded in 1906 and operated from 1921 to 1993 as an agricultural cooperative marketing association owned by the member sugar companies in Hawaii...
refinery in Crockett, California
Crockett, California
Crockett is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 3,094 at the 2010 census...
, and the exterior of C&H Sugar is seen on screen. The location was not announced until filming had concluded, for fear that large crowds would gather to watch. Filming also took place in Nob Hill, San Francisco and Emeryville
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
. While production was in the Bay Area, it employed 300 local extras and crew members. Production returned to London on January 29 to shoot Damon's final scenes. On February 3, scenes were filmed at the Charles Dickens Museum. Later in the month, the London Book Fair
London Book Fair
The London Book Fair is a large book-publishing trade fair held annually, usually in April, in London, England. The London Book Fair has grown in size and importance in recent years, and 23,000 publishers, booksellers, literary agents, librarians, media and industry suppliers from over 100...
was recreated inside the Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
for a scene featuring George and Marie. Publishers including Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
had their stands built for the three-day shoot, two months before the real London Book Fair took place. Filming wrapped afterwards.
Visual effects work was carried out by Los Angeles-based Scanline VFX
Scanline VFX
Scanline VFX is a visual effects company with offices in Los Angeles, Vancouver and Munich. The company is well known for its proprietary, in-house fluid effects software Flowline, which is used in various fluid effects like water and fire. Scanline was sole developer for Flowline, for which it...
. 169 effects were created, the key sequence of which was the tsunami, which features "full CG water shots and CG water extensions to water plates, digital doubles, CG set extensions, matte paintings, digital make-up fx and full CG environments with extensive destruction, from toppling digital palm trees to colliding digital cars". An effect described as the "hereafter effect" also appears, "[giving] the viewer glimpses into the afterlife".
Release
After initial speculation by Variety that the film would be released in December 2010, Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
announced that Hereafter would go on general release in the United States and Canada on October 22, 2010.
A pre-release screening of Hereafter was held on August 10, 2010. The film had its world premiere on September 12, 2010 at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
2010 Toronto International Film Festival
The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented Score: A Hockey Musical, a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. Last Night closed the festival on September 19.2010 TIFF included...
. The theatrical trailer was attached to The Town
The Town (2010 film)
The Town is a 2010 crime film starring, co-written, and directed by Ben Affleck adapted from Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves. The film opened in theaters in the United States on September 17, 2010 at number one with more than $23 million and positive reviews...
and Life as We Know It
Life as We Know It (film)
Life as We Know It is a 2010 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Greg Berlanti, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. It was released on October 8, 2010, after sneak previews in 811 theaters on October 2, 2010...
. Hereafter was also screened on October 10, 2010 as the Closing Night Film of the 48th New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
. The film was given a limited release on October 15, 2010.
The film premiered in Japan on February 19, 2011.
A few days after the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
, the film was withdrawn from all cinemas in that country, two weeks earlier than originally planned. "Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
spokesperson Satoru Otani said the film's terrifying tsunami scenes were 'not appropriate' at this time."
Critical reception
Hereafter has received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 46% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 151 reviews, with an average score of 5.8/10. The critical consensus is: "Despite a thought-provoking premise and Clint Eastwood's typical flair as director, Hereafter fails to generate much compelling drama, straddling the line between poignant sentimentality and hokey tedium." Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 56/100 based on 41 reviews. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, however, gave the film four stars (out of four), calling it a film that "considers the idea of an afterlife with tenderness, beauty and a gentle tact. I was surprised to find it enthralling."
The film received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, But lost to another Warner Bros. film, Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
.
External links
- Hereafter at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...