MovieChat Forums > What Dreams May Come (1998) Discussion > Movie's vision of the heavenly afterlife...

Movie's vision of the heavenly afterlife too much psychedelic


Everyone has his or her own vision of what Heaven should be and should look like. This movie depicted - or tried to depict - a beautiful, peaceful, languid, after-Earth that more of a colorful, painting mosaic of autumn-like splashing of brilliant hues of bright and subdued color tones. Christians and Moslems share a desired version of life-after-death in a beautiful post-Earth. I'm not too sure what Judaism teaches; from what I understand there is no standard Jewish belief of what Heaven is like other than there is some kind of Heavenly reward. Verily, mainstream Christianity teaches that if there is no resurrection, no afterlife, then our faith has been in vain. The vision of the afterlife in this movie was just too much, too overwhelming. While it tried very hard to depict the perspective of equanimity, peace, total relaxation and stress-free, it was too much of too less. The scenes were that of all strangers slowly walking about, as if everyone was lost in their own spaced-out Prozac Quaalude world. It seemed like some kind of drug-induced trip through a sedated Nirvana. Maybe Heaven might be like that for some who want it, but I don't think so. Heaven may not be the retirement home for eternity that some people think it is. But the afterlife in Heaven should be one of undisputed happiness and the continuation of passion, not its loss to a dosage of thorazine.

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The depiction of heaven in this movie is quite abstract and modernist perhaps?

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You say psychedelic as if it's a bad thing … :)

(And thorazine is not a psychedelic, far from it.)

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It wasn't a religious afterlife, but it was one of judgement, as his wife was in hell, even though he says there is no judges.

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