The Sweet Hereafter

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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. See more 08/22/2024 Didn’t think I’d like it but it was superb acting, great cinema. Ya can’t unsee it. See more Shioka O 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. See more ronald h 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. See more 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. See more dave s 02/16/2022 In Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter, lawyer Mitchell Stephens (Ian Holm) travels to a remote town in British Columbia to initiate a class action lawsuit on behalf of parents who lost their children in a tragic school bus accident. Rarely has a film generated such a sense of pathos. The feeling of loss and suffering and anger permeates virtually every frame of the movie. Egoyan's direction is pitch perfect as he uses slow zooms, languid camera movement and panoramic shots of the vast, snow-covered landscapes to establish a slow-burning sense of despair and anguish. There is no sense of healing or closure, only the realization that we sometimes simply have to accept the misfortunes that life offers. The Sweet Hereafter is, arguably, the greatest film to ever emerge from Canada. See more Read all reviews

The Sweet Hereafter

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