IMDb >
The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Sweet Hereafter (1997) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos (see all 2 NEW) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
21 November 1997 (USA) moreTagline:
There is no such thing as the simple truth.Plot:
This film documents the effects of a tragic bus accident on the population of a small town. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 29 wins & 20 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(28 articles)
This Week In DVD: October 13th (From FilmSchoolRejects. 13 October 2009, 11:56 AM, PDT)
Tiff Picks 09: Atom Egoyan's Chloe
(From ioncinema. 7 September 2009)
User Comments:
Tragic and beautiful masterpiece more (174 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Ian Holm | ... | Mitchell Stevens | |
| Caerthan Banks | ... | Zoe Stevens | |
| Sarah Polley | ... | Nicole Burnell | |
| Tom McCamus | ... | Sam Burnell | |
| Gabrielle Rose | ... | Dolores Discolt | |
| Alberta Watson | ... | Risa | |
| Maury Chaykin | ... | Wendell | |
| Stephanie Morgenstern | ... | Allison | |
| Kirsten Kieferle | ... | Stewardess | |
| Arsinée Khanjian | ... | Wanda | |
| Earl Pastko | ... | Hartley | |
| Simon Baker | ... | Bear | |
| David Hemblen | ... | Abbott | |
| Bruce Greenwood | ... | Billy | |
| Sarah Rosen Fruitman | ... | Jessica |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for sexuality and some language.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
112 minCountry:
CanadaLanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Africa:13LS | New Zealand:M | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 | UK:15 | USA:RFun Stuff
Trivia:
Caerthan Banks is the daughter of Russell Banks, who wrote the novel (also titled "The Sweet Hereafter") that the film is based on. moreGoofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Stephens visits the Ottos, and Mr. Otto offers him some tea, we hear a teakettle whistling but the one we see on the cooker is not the whistling type. moreQuotes:
Mason: Nicole, did the Pied Piper take the children away because he was mad that the town didn't pay him?Nicole: That's right.
Mason: Well, if he knew magic, if he could get the kids into the mountain, why couldn't he use his magic pipe to make the people pay him for getting rid of the rats?
Nicole: Because... he wanted them to be punished.
Mason: So he was mean?
Nicole: No, not mean, just... very angry.
more
Soundtrack:
One More Colour moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (174 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Sweet Hereafter (1997) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Babel | Die Blechtrommel | Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | Across the Universe | The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb Canada section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |



The Sweet Hereafter is as tragic, sad and matter-of-fact as movies get, but it's still so very beautiful that it becomes a film that's virtually impossible to forget.
The story makes no secret of the fact what terrible tragedy will happen, right from the outset. A lesser filmmaker than Atom Egoyan would've jumped at the chance to shock the audience with the freak accident that robs the town of Sam Dent of nearly all their children, by telling the story in a linear fashion. Not Egoyan. The story is fragmented, thus enhancing the true point: This is not about the overwhelming power of loss, it is about the overwhelming power of survivor's guilt (nicely represented in Browning's poem The Pied Piper Of Hamelin, which is referred to in the movie). It's all about people who grieve not only for the ones they've lost, but also for themselves, how empty their lives have become because of their tragedies. In focussing on that point, the film refrains from manipulative sentiment (which so many others don't), and presents true and unintrusive emotion, that, in the end, despite all the terror, shines a light of hope, for the sweet hereafter is not only the peaceful afterlife, it's also the peaceful future, the continuation of life...
The performances speak for themselves. Ian Holm and Sarah Polley shine in particular, through nicely subdued and subtle acting. Polley also excels as a fantastic singer-songwriter. The songs in the movie were written and performed all by herself.
Egoyan's direction is simply masterful in its beauty, elegance and evocation.
One of the best films of the 1990s.
10 out of 10.