The Sweet hereafter

In a small mountain town a lawyer (Ian Holm) arrives to argue that the parents of children killed in a horrific bus accident should claim compensation for the tragedy. The lawyer himself is dealing with his own daughter’s heroin addiction and his inability to assist her. As this wonderful and intelligent film unfolds, we as an audience are led to explore issues of familial and personal responsibility, in particular the difficult searing question of what it means to be parent to a child. We are also asked to question our culture’s increasing fear and terror of accident and death. Filmed in glorious Canadian wilderness in the middle of heavy winter, “The Sweet Hereafter” is a masterful film: script, cinematography and acting are nearly faultless. Egoyan has consistently been proving himself to be one of the most challenging, exciting and experimental of film directors working in cinema since the 1980s. This assured classical film is both a departure and a culmination of his work: his films have all explored the alienation and loneliness of our contemporary world and our increasing estrangement from family and each other. It is no exaggeration to call this film one of the most emotionally and intellectually profound films of modern cinema. Based on a novel by Russell Banks. Cast includes Sarah Polley, Maury Chaykin, Peter Donaldson, Bruce Greenwood and Arsinee Khanjian.