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      The Sweet Hereafter

      1997, Drama, 1h 50m

      60 Reviews 10,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

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

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      The Sweet Hereafter  Photos

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      Movie Info

      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.

      • Rating: R

      • Genre: Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Atom Egoyan

      • Producer: Camelia Frieberg, Atom Egoyan

      • Writer: Russell Banks, Atom Egoyan

      • Release Date (Theaters):  original

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $4.4M

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: New Line Home Video [us], Fine Line Features

      • Production Co: Téléfilm Canada

      • Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

      • Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

      Cast & Crew

      News & Interviews for The Sweet Hereafter

      Critic Reviews for The Sweet Hereafter

      Audience Reviews for The Sweet Hereafter

      • Oct 30, 2012
        Egoyan's masterpiece about a town who loses their children in a horrific bus accident. Marvellous.
        Super Reviewer
      • Mar 18, 2012
        A complex, multi-layered story of loss and secrets and lies, beautifully told by a master filmmaker. Ian Holm plays Mitchell Stephens, a lawyer who comes to a small Canadian town that has just experienced the loss of several of the children in a tragic bus accident. He hopes to get several of the affected families to sign on to let him represent them in a lawsuit and in so doing he creates a new tension and division in the townsfolk. The supporting cast was excellent, with Sarah Polley, as a teen who survives the wreck but is severely injured, and Alberta Watson, as a mother who lost her child, turning in especially fine performances. The stark winter landscape, the way the tale unfolds in the past, the present and the future, and the quiet reveals that illustrate just how much is hidden behind the veil of good reputations combined with the literary device that links the story to the Pied Piper of Hamlen all reveal the brilliance of the director, Atom Egoyan. This viewer had heard many good things about this film going in, which often only sets one up for disappointment, but happily, The Sweet Hereafter delivers.
        Super Reviewer
      • Jun 18, 2011
        Quiet and solemn this work by Atom Egoyan is so beautiful and moving that I found myself gasping as the roots of a small town are ripped asunder by an unfortunate accident. Must see.
        kevin w Super Reviewer
      • May 24, 2011
        A smart moral and sociological exploration, much more subtle than I've come to expect from Atom Egoyan, but I suppose I wanted more...it's pretty bland visually. It doesn't read low-budget by any means, but it sure as hell looks like it.
        Super Reviewer

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