"This is a film for intelligent people who are naturally curious about what happens when the shutters close."
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times"It is a curious movie in both senses of the word: an unusual experience and an open-ended inquiry into something nobody can really claim to understand. It leaves you wondering, which may be the most fitting way of saying that it's wonderful."
— A. O. Scott, New York Times"... a pensive saga that transcends death and lyrically examines our darkest fears and our most deeply held beliefs."
— Claudia Puig, USA Today"When an 80-year-old director turns his attention to death, you hope for some insight, or gravitas, or even whimsy or anger. Hereafter has none of that."
— Kyle Smith, New York Post"Multiple story lines cross international borders to mix personal tragedy with post-9/11 existential terror: Hereafter is a mawkish mondo mistico, obvious, schematic, and sometimes subtitled."
— J. Hoberman, Village Voice