Review of The Sweet Hereafter (1997) by Ricardo O — 23 Mar 2010

The Sweet Hereafter is Atom Egoyan's haunting adaptation of the novel by the same name. It is a poignant look at the aftermath of a tragic accident involving a school bus killing many of the town's children that tears apart a small British Columbia town. Ian Holm stars as Mitchell Stephens, a big-city lawyer who arrives in the interest of uniting the survivors to initiate a lawsuit; his presence only drives the community further apart, reopening old wounds and jeopardizing any hopes of emotional recovery. One key witness, however, eludes the troubled attorney: a gifted young woman confined by the tragedy to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. The film is a serious and painfully honest exploration of family grief. All of the characters have been struck with devastation which is at the center of the story, not even the attorney whose interests are in part motivated by his own remorse over the fate of his daughter, an HIV-positive drug addict.

With great intelligence Atom Egoyan adapted and directed this poignant tale of a town stricken with grief after the tragedy of a school buss accident that kills many of the town's children. Egoyan uses flashbacks to reveal the emotions that drive the characters in the story such as one time when one time when Stevens' daughter was younger and had been infected he rushed off to the hospital to help her and was ready to do surgery himself on her throat if it was completely necessary. Reminiscent of the Coen's Fargo, Egoyan frames every shot of the Canadian landscape with shear beauty. And like the music of Fargo is also has some slightly unusual music to go along with it that goes really with what is being shown on screen. It is an emotional tour de force that succeeds with the help of the performance by Ian Holm as well as the rest of the cast. There's a reason Atom Egoyan is so revered as a filmmaker compared to fellow Canadian David Croenenberg, it is because he is able to speak to the audience with such emotion and integrity. One of the most spiritually enhancing films ever made. Great film. 10/10.