Hereafter concerns the strory of an unwilling psychic, played by Matt Damon, who is the central meeting point of two other characters trying to come to terms with death and the afterlife. In my opinion, a nice enough idea. French journalist Marie survives a tsunami, but is haunted somwhat by her time in said afterlife, after she just about came back to life. English twin Marcus goes through the film trying to connect with his brother, Jason, who is killed early on in the film. The picture is a change of pace for action man Matt Damon, but he does surprisingly well, he pulls off the tortured-soul gig convincingly and you get a real sense of the character's inner turmoil at what others, including his pushy brother, call a gift, he refers to as a burden. The film is watchable in the main, but is utterly ruined by probably the worst child performances I have ever watched. English twins Frankie and George McLaren give awkward and completely unconvincing turns in pivotal roles, and their side of the plot is all but written off in my eyes, as they give dialogue that seems as if they are reading off a cue card. It gets better, I'll give them that, but only because the surviving twin doesn't have an awful lot of talking to do, thank the Lord. The plot itself seems to dabble in seeingly needless side-plots, like the cooking partner Damon has in night school, who begs him for a reading then disappears after Damon sees that she was abused as a child, I felt this could have made the film more hard-hitting, and the plot line dissolves before it's really begun, which is disappointing. I should give credit to the tsunami sequence that opens the film, whether or not it was meant to be the Thailand disaster of 2004 is unclear, but either way it is an effective sequence. Overall, Hereafter is a good storyline that doesn't quite pack the punch it ought to. Director Clint Eastwood has done perfectly well in the past with sentimental films, look no further than 2009's Gran Torino for proof, but there's something missing from this that makes it a tame effort, and the fact that I couldn't tell you what probably makes it even worse.
Movies are not often made about ballet in this day and age. Dance movies in the 21st century are usually about hard done by kids doing flips in the street, and perhaps because of this, Black Swan won't get the attention it thorughly deserves. It tells the tale of Nina Sayers, who is portrayed superbly by Natalie Portman, a shy and naive ballerina who is cast as the Swan Queen in her company's upcoming production of Swan Lake. As the movie progresses, Nina changes drastically, trying desperately to impress her director, mother and stave off competition from a feisty newcomer who appears to be after her role. No doubt Portman will win numerous accolades for her turn in this film. I hardly think there are enough superlatives to describe her, but she is worth the money on her own. However, saying that, the movie is perfectly able to stand on its own merits. It is not what you think it is. Trust me when I say that Black Swan is deeply psychological film, with scenes that would probably fit in to many modern horrors. Director Darren Aronofsky is shameless in his imagery, constantly showing us the contrast of black and white, light and dark, good and evil that is basically the underlying battle throughout the movie. Mila Kunis is also excellent in her role as Nina's rival, who convinces her to let loose and truly become the Black Swan that is shown to be inside her from the outset. The film keeps the viewer guessing throughout, and is unflinching in its portrayal of the psychological breakdown that is occuring within Nina's head. I have no doubt in my mind that this will be up for many awards, and so it should be, a truly sterling effort all round that quite frankly needs to be seen, and is a perfect example in every way that you should never judge a book by its cover.
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