Review of The Sweet Hereafter (1997) by Greg L — 12 Nov 2008

This film suffers from the 'ensemble' film arthritis that stiffened up films from other multi-story-line directors such as Anderson (Magnolia) and Sayles (City of Hope). The screenplay is there, but the immensity that Egoyan feeds each character, the lines that should read understated comes across as like a cement shoe.

The film does have atmosphere, and despite the script not getting justified, the film does work. It is over-wrought lacking subtleties and nuance, but for some reason, I was glued to my seat throughout it's two hour frame. Bruce Greenwood turns in the best performance of the film.