The Sweet Hereafter

• 1997
• Canada
• 1h 50min
• 15

• Directed by: Atom Egoyan
• Written by: Russell Banks (novel), Atom Egoyan
• Cast: Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Bruce Greenwood

When a small community is torn apart by a school bus accident that claims the lives of most of their children, an ambiguous lawyer with family troubles of his own comes to represent them in a compensation case. The film unfolds in a patchwork of flashbacks and set-pieces, but it's Holm's beautifully judged performance that's the bedrock of the film. As a study of helpless grief, it's rarely been bettered.

• 77%
• 90%
• 100%
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