Robin Williams seems two have two acting gears: there’s the hilarious but hardly subtle clown we see in stupid comedies, but he can also be a wonderfully touching, intense and endearing lead actor, as his Oscar-winning turn in “Good Will Hunting” confirmed. In this new film, he’s just right. He makes you laugh, cry and… think ? Well, not really, but you can’t ask for everything. He plays Chris Nielsen, a good natured doctor who had the luck to find his soulmate, Annie (Annabella Sciorra, just lovable). Annie and him had two wonderful children, and they live a happy life. That’s until shit hits the fan, and the kids die in a car crash. And after 4 short years, it’s Chris who’s killed in another road accident. Annie can’t take it anymore, and she kills herself. Is that somber or what? Well, the film lights up when Chris arrive in the afterlife. The film is based on Richard Matheson’s trippy novel, and his vision of heaven is fascinating. It’s anything you want it to be! Chris always loved painting, so his heaven is one of his wife’s, a magnificent landscape. Annie didn’t have as much luck, and she ended up in hell because of her suicide. But Chris’s not willing to give her up, and he’ll do anything to reunite with his soulmate, even if it means he’ll be stuck in hell…

Vincent Ward took a big risk with that film. The story is dangerously New Agey and sugar-coated. Yet, it’s also something else: sincere. And trust me, that’s not that common in the era of cynicism. Plus, you’ve got to appreciate a filmmaker’s effort to explore an essential theme like death, even if it’s through an idealistic love story. There are also some unexpected twists involving an Asian hostess and a black guide (played by the always enjoyable Cuba Gooding Jr). The storytelling and the use of flash-backs is interesting as well. But mostly, what makes this film so memorable is its visual look: you’ve never seen anything quite like this. In heaven, Robin Williams wanders through countless worlds of wonder. Every shot is like a magical painting. The nature is still dripping wet in paint, and Williams swim through this sea of bright colors. The sequences in hell are also astounding. Ship wrecks on fire, seas of damned souls…

You just won’t believe your eyes. Too bad the script isn’t as terrific as the direction. The film’s fairly well written for the most part, and some scenes are involving, but it doesn’t add up to much more than the usual “true-love-lasts-forever” Hollywood fable. This is still a very special movie experience that must be seen on a big screen, but it isn’t quite the masterpiece it could have been. The ending is cute, but not thought-provoking. Actually, the overlooked “City of Angels” had a much more well thought spiritual core. Still, this is a dazzling movie, and Williams and Sciorra are so good that you can’t help but believe in their undying love.