-Spoilers-
While watching `The Sweet Hereafter', a film about a small town in Canada that suffers the loss of most of its children after a fatal school bus accident, I could not get over a profound feeling of dread. From the beginning, we find out what happened to the town, but it isn't until about halfway into the movie (or perhaps more) that we actually see the accident happen. When we do see that accident, despite already knowing the details, it is absolutely horrifying to witness. The film is shot in a non-linear style, but we jump from the different time frames very coherently, due to the excellent direction of Atom Egoyan.
Ian Holm plays an attorney who goes to the town shortly after the accident to persuade the grieving families to file suit against the bus company (despite the fact there may not be a cause). While the town seems tiny and fairly idyllic, with an interesting cast of characters, it becomes quickly obvious that perceptions are completely different from the reality. Adultery, child molestation, these are secrets the audience learns; yet the rest of the town remain blissfully unaware.
One recurring theme that runs throughout the film is the comparison of the accident to the children's story, `The Pied Piper of Haemlin', a theme that gets creepier as the film goes on until I literally had chills running down my spine. `The Sweet Hereafter' is a fairly simple, beautifully filmed and quiet movie that stayed with me for several days after its initial viewing. Being so used to traditional films that are produced that lay everything out with a neat beginning and conclusion, it was refreshing to watch a film that gnawed at me for a while, and force me to analyze what I saw and what I may not have seen. I recommend this film to anyone who doesn't expect tidy results from their cinema experience, and who perhaps look for a `little more' in their films than Hollywood generally gives them.
--Shelly
While watching `The Sweet Hereafter', a film about a small town in Canada that suffers the loss of most of its children after a fatal school bus accident, I could not get over a profound feeling of dread. From the beginning, we find out what happened to the town, but it isn't until about halfway into the movie (or perhaps more) that we actually see the accident happen. When we do see that accident, despite already knowing the details, it is absolutely horrifying to witness. The film is shot in a non-linear style, but we jump from the different time frames very coherently, due to the excellent direction of Atom Egoyan.
Ian Holm plays an attorney who goes to the town shortly after the accident to persuade the grieving families to file suit against the bus company (despite the fact there may not be a cause). While the town seems tiny and fairly idyllic, with an interesting cast of characters, it becomes quickly obvious that perceptions are completely different from the reality. Adultery, child molestation, these are secrets the audience learns; yet the rest of the town remain blissfully unaware.
One recurring theme that runs throughout the film is the comparison of the accident to the children's story, `The Pied Piper of Haemlin', a theme that gets creepier as the film goes on until I literally had chills running down my spine. `The Sweet Hereafter' is a fairly simple, beautifully filmed and quiet movie that stayed with me for several days after its initial viewing. Being so used to traditional films that are produced that lay everything out with a neat beginning and conclusion, it was refreshing to watch a film that gnawed at me for a while, and force me to analyze what I saw and what I may not have seen. I recommend this film to anyone who doesn't expect tidy results from their cinema experience, and who perhaps look for a `little more' in their films than Hollywood generally gives them.
--Shelly