Imagine yourself precariously gripping onto a tightrope with clenched toes. Your shoulders are tensed into knots and you are so focused on the finish line that you fail to notice that the tiny round cable beneath your cramped feet is no longer taut. You fall, you live, you are disappointed with the outcome.

That, my friends, is Hereafter.

An emotionally arduous film by Clint Eastwood that features a distracting number of editing errors (I lost track of how many times the boom mic appeared at the top of the screen), Hereafter is a very long and intense viewing experience with a tidy ending that left me altogether unsatisfied. The movie also suffers from miscasting issues; specifically, Jay Mohr and Bryce Dallas Howard. Matt Damon is reliable and understated, but the material does not require much of his range and depth.  

My primary issue with Hereafter is not the disturbingly realistic events that bring the central characters together; it is the contrived emotional manipulation throughout.

Rainy day rental at best.