The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Director:

Atom Egoyan

Writers:

Russell Banks (novel)
Atom Egoyan (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Bus | Children | Lawyer | Community | School

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 29 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

De beaux lendemains (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and some language.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

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:R

Filming Locations:

Merritt, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Alliance Communications Corporation

Trivia:

Cameo: [Russell Banks]the author of the novel the movie is based on makes a cameo as the doctor ("The mind is kind") in the hospital scene with Sarah Polley.

Goofs:

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.

Quotes:

Sam: Nicole, tomorrow Mr. Stephens wants you to make your deposition at the community center. Thought I'd take you over.
Nicole: Great.
Sam: You seem, uh, I don't know. Distant, I guess. Hard to talk to.
Nicole: We didn't used to have to talk a lot, did we Daddy?
Sam: What do you mean?
Nicole: I mean, I'm a wheelchair girl now. And it's hard to pretend that I'm a beautiful rock star. Remember, Daddy? That beautiful stage that you were gonna build for me. You were gonna light it with nothing but candles.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

One More Colour

The Best Film of the 1990's

Brutally honest, haunting, cold, austere and elliptical in the unfolding of plot and story, Atom Egoyan's restrained but powerful look at a small Canadian town ripped apart by tragedy and now invaded by a troubled lawyer (played expertly by Ian Holm) looking to make a killing off their grief is one of the most artistic portraits of the sorrow of everyday people ever conceived. The scene where Bruce Greenwood's character witnesses the school bus carrying his two children and all the hopes and dreams of a small town skid nonchalantly off an icy road and onto a frozen body of water that can't possibly hold the vehicle's weight is among the most chilling, heart-wrenching and gut-dropping scenes ever put on film. The revelations unearthed during the lawyer's investigation are both quietly disturbing and all too true to life. The intertwining tales of the townsfolk and the ultimately heartbroken lawyer are exquisitely handled by Egoyan and leave the viewer feeling the same loss as the characters. Tragedy befalls us all. Luckily, every once in awhile, so does great art.