The Sweet Hereafter

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The Sweet Hereafter

R,

1997,

1h 50m,

Drama

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Watchlist

98%

59 Reviews

Tomatometer

86%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

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.

Critics Consensus

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

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Mar 5, 2018

There's a mesmerizing clarity to The Sweet Hereafter': you're moved by it, but you never feel the filmmaker is milking your emotions.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Dec 15, 2017

That's the true power of Egoyan's film - how in shuffling the chronological deck, we see what once was in this town, both in its light and its darkness, and how none of it will ever be the same, no matter what Mitchell Stevens says.

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Nov 6, 2002

4/5

A delicate and touching story.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Nov 2, 2025

5/5

…a grown-up film about the kind of issues created in a small community, The Sweet Hereafter is a haunting lament for lost innocence...it it’s a super-rare lead for Ian Holm that really gives Atom Egoyan's adaptation of a Russell Banks novel a higher gear…

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Liz Braun

Original Cin

Nov 5, 2024

A

Rightly considered one of Canada’s most important films, writer-director Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter, now issued in restored form, stands the test of time.

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Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

Dec 30, 2023

[Recreates] the terrible iciness of grief in a way that is difficult to shake off.

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Han R

Jan 20, 2019

Atom Egoyan is considered a great filmmaker and The Sweet hereafter is one of the reasons why- This is a gut wrenching, hard hitting film that will make you ponder on complex issues that life throws at all of us. This is film making at its most powerful: drama capable of shaking the soul, yet free of even the slightest hint of manipulation, sentimentality, or mawkishness. The movie has an impact that extends far beyond the walls of a movie theater - a quality shared by a distressingly few of today's releases. The central event of The Sweet Hereafter is a school bus accident that results in the death of fourteen children and the injury of many others. On a cold winter's day in the small town of Sam Dent, British Columbia, the driver loses control of the vehicle and it careens off the road onto a frozen lake which gives way beneath the weight. The scene of the bus sinking into the water - a stark, simple shot - is one of the most painfully effective and disturbing sequences in any film this year. A lawyer(Ian Holm) arrives to tell the stunned community that there is a financial windfall available- which breaks the community on ethical lines. Stunning performances and a great understanding of directing by Egoyan make The Sweet Hereafter a must watch for anybody.

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Theodore M

May 14, 2018

Hauntingly beautiful. Unmissable

Poe S

Feb 3, 2018

Beautiful, unique film

Abraham W

Apr 26, 2016

A haunting drama about parental grieving commendable for its nonlinear narrative told through flashbacks.

Abraham R

Jun 23, 2009

one of my all-time favorite movies

Abraham L

Aug 13, 2007

One of my favorite films (Definitely on my top10 list): an elliptical study on the nature of healing, forgivness, community, emotional transference, etc. centered around a tragic school bus accident. With some incredible performances . Most notably from Ian Holm (who should have won the Oscar for his performance!!) and Sarah Polley. Brilliantly Directed by Atom Egoyan (IF you suffer from a short attention span this film is NOT for you!)

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Atom Egoyan
Producer: Camelia Frieberg, Atom Egoyan
Screenwriter: Russell Banks, Atom Egoyan
Distributor: Fine Line Features, New Line Home Video [us]
Production Co: Téléfilm Canada
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 4, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.4M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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