The Sweet Hereafter

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The Sweet Hereafter

R

1997

1h 50m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A small mountain community in Canada is devastated when a school bus accident leaves more than a dozen of its children dead. A big-city lawyer (Ian Holm) arrives to help the survivors' and victims' families prepare a class-action suit, but his efforts only seem to push the townspeople further apart. At the same time, one teenage survivor of the accident (Sarah Polley) has to reckon with the loss of innocence brought about by a different kind of damage.

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Critics Consensus

Director Atom Egoyan examines tragedy and its aftermath with intelligence and empathy.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

03/05/2018

There's a mesmerizing clarity to The Sweet Hereafter': you're moved by it, but you never feel the filmmaker is milking your emotions.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

12/15/2017

That's the true power of Egoyan's film - how in shuffling the chronological deck, we see what once was in this town, both in its light and its darkness, and how none of it will ever be the same, no matter what Mitchell Stevens says.

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

11/06/2002

4/5

A delicate and touching story.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Nov 2

5/5

…a grown-up film about the kind of issues created in a small community, The Sweet Hereafter is a haunting lament for lost innocence...it it’s a super-rare lead for Ian Holm that really gives Atom Egoyan's adaptation of a Russell Banks novel a higher gear…

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Liz Braun

Original Cin

11/05/2024

A

Rightly considered one of Canada’s most important films, writer-director Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter, now issued in restored form, stands the test of time.

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Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

12/30/2023

[Recreates] the terrible iciness of grief in a way that is difficult to shake off.

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Tim M

@tgmacman Feb 1

Imbued with a raw feeling of grief and melancholy, The Sweet Hereafter gets to the emotional core of its story with aplomb.

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MakeItVanilla T

@RT25636695 Nov 11

A beautifully authentic film which captures the complexity of navigating tragedy. There were so many layers and perspectives which culminated in the rise of good over evil. Slow and meandering, but mesmerizing. Atom Egoyan at his best.

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wes T

@RT68656455 08/22/2024

Didn’t think I’d like it but it was superb acting, great cinema. Ya can’t unsee it.

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Shioka O

@RT54204327 03/03/2024

Adapted from a novel based on true story. While quiet and delicate story telling, it's moving but cold and melancholic. Great cinematography and acting by Ian Holm.

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ronald h

@RT44372985 09/18/2022

This is an excellent film by all criteria: direction, camera work, acting. The performances are strong, particularly Ian Holm's. But get ready for some heavy melodrama and tragedy. I mean heavy, like a weight on your chest. The book had the same effect on me. After finishing it, I was almost sorry I read it. Are you in the mood for a movie about little kids getting killed in a school bus accident? Ask yourself before you watch this. Not exactly edifying subject matter----and, of course, there is no possibility of a happy ending. Not that happy endings are requisite, but be aware of what you're getting into. There is some really stupid folk/rock music on the soundtrack in the latter part of the film. It's supposed to be expository, but it throws off the whole mood.

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 06/20/2022

It was hard to feel empathy for anyone in this story but it cleverly navigates the aftermath of a tragedy in a small community. Clear echoes of Fargo in the setting and local politics. A reasonable film but one I'll likely forget soon enough.

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Synopsis

A small mountain community in Canada is devastated when a school bus accident leaves more than a dozen of its children dead. A big-city lawyer (Ian Holm) arrives to help the survivors' and victims' families prepare a class-action suit, but his efforts only seem to push the townspeople further apart. At the same time, one teenage survivor of the accident (Sarah Polley) has to reckon with the loss of innocence brought about by a different kind of damage.

Director: Atom Egoyan
Producer: Camelia Frieberg, Atom Egoyan
Screenwriter: Russell Banks, Atom Egoyan
Distributor: New Line Home Video [us], Fine Line Features
Production Co: Téléfilm Canada
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 4, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.4M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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