Review of The Sweet Hereafter (1997) by Zach S — 22 Jul 2007
Pitch-perfect study of a community in the wake of a tragedy coming to grips with the secrets that lie hidden beneath the facade of complacency. Not so much in the vein of "Peyton Place," more like "In the Bedroom" -- especially in its portrayal of grief splintering families as well as old fashioned kindness to neighbors.
The nonlinear storyline is never overly labyrinthine, but just strong enough to keep the viewer on edge, especially when Egoyan, out of nowhere, shifts the central protagonist of the story from the lawyer Stevens (Holm) to the deeply scarred Nicole (Polley, haunting and positively radiant), one of the only two survivors of the town's tragic school bus accident.
Confounding and perhaps unsatisfying, but so elegantly written, filled with so much intrigue and wonderful characters, and miraculously avoids the pitfalls of other such portrayals of "small town life".
Egoyan is a master of summoning deep sympathy for characters whose actions seem beyond comprehension.
This review of The Sweet Hereafter (1997) was written by Zach S on 22 Jul 2007.
The Sweet Hereafter has generally received very positive reviews.
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