Typically known for his methodical pacing and intimate scope, director Clint Eastwood begins his latest effort, “Hereafter,” with a terrifying action sequence. French journalist Marie (Cecile de France) is caught in a devastating tsunami. She dies, experiences something extraordinary, then is miraculously revived.

Don’t fret. Eastwood hasn’t totally abandoned his filmmaking style. The rest of “Hereafter” is an intimate character study of three people struggling to make sense of what happens after death.

Sadly, only one of these storylines carries any dramatic significance, and Eastwood, alongside writer Peter Morgan (“The Queen”) fumbles a climax that tries too hard to seam the three stories together.

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