The Sweet Hereafter Movie Review

I got no sleep the night I saw The Sweet Hereafter. It's an immeasurably sad movie about the aftermath of a tragic bus accident and it demands tremendous concentration, so this is not the movie to watch while doing taxes, homework, or crossword puzzles. Attorney Mitchell Stephens (Ian Holm) is on the job after 14 Canadian children are killed when their bus swerves off the road and crashes into a frozen pond, drowning the kids in the icy waters beneath the surface. He's pressing for a lawsuit so the grieving families can be compensated for their pain. There is a witness—the proud father of two of the kids, Billy Ansell (played by Bruce Greenwood, who deserved to be, but unaccountably wasn't, an Oscar nominee for this one). There is also a paralyzed survivor, Nicole Burnell (Tales of Avonlea’s Sarah Polley). Prior to the accident, Nicole was the recipient of sexual attentions from her father, Sam (Tom McCamus). Reportedly, the original novel by Russell Banks showed that the attentions were unwanted and that Sam was far from the conscience-plagued character he appears to be here. But Polley reveals Nicole's internal rage with blazing clarity, especially in a deposition sequence with both Stephens and her father present. There are some incredible shots in The Sweet Hereafter: We flash back to the bus on the icy roads of British Columbia, and, without a cut, the camera seems to pan the plane in the sky on which Stephens is flying. Extensive pressing of the pause button suggests that some optical printing was involved, but however the effect was done, it's an impressive achievement. A sub-plot involves Stephens’ drug-riddled daughter, Zoe (Caerthan Banks), and Nicole's narration draws an analogy between the children of her town and the youngsters who followed The Pied Piper of Hamelin. It's all very lugubrious and depressing, so wait until you're in the mood for it, but when you do catch up with The Sweet Hereafter, you will appreciate both the superb acting and the complexity of the issues in this extremely well-made film by Atom Egoyan. Scratch half a bone for prettying up Sam's and Nicole's father-daughter romance.

1996 (R) 110m/C CA Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Bruce Greenwood, Tom McCamus, Arsinee Khanjian, Alberta Watson, Gabrielle Rose, Maury Chaykin, David Hemblen, Earl Pastko, Peter Donaldson, Caerthan Banks, Brook Johnson, Stephanie Morgenstern; D: Atom Egoyan; W: Atom Egoyan; C: Paul Sarossy; M: Mychael Danna. Cannes Film Festival ‘97: Grand Jury Prize; Genie Awards ‘97: Best Actor (Holm), Best Cinematography, Best Director (Egoyan), Best Film, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Score; Independent Spirit Awards ‘98: Best Foreign Film; Toronto-City Award ‘97: Best Canadian Feature Film; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘97: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director (Egoyan); Genie Awards ‘97: Best Actor (Greenwood), Best Actress (Polley, Rose), Best Screenplay. VHS, LV, Closed Caption, DVD