THE SWEET HEREAFTER
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 1997 David N. Butterworth
***1/2 (out of ****)
Towards the middle of "The Sweet Hereafter," a crowded school bus skids on an icy road surface as it rounds a bend, careens through the steel guard rail, and disappears out of sight. Then, in long shot, we see the vehicle slowly sliding across what looks like a snow-covered field. It pauses for a moment before the "field" cracks under the bus' weight and the bright yellow vehicle vanishes in an effortless moment, a single smooth second of time.
Compare that scene, if you will, to the last eighty minutes of "Titanic," when the behemoth sinks slowly and spectacularly to its watery demise, and you'll appreciate the futility of comparing greatness in films.
The scene in "The Sweet Hereafter" epitomizes all that's right with independent Canadian director Atom Egoyan's film. It's not sensational. We don't see the inside of the bus with its payload of screaming, terrified children being bloodied and battered about. The bus doesn't explode or break into a thousand tiny pieces. It simply leaves the road and silently slips beneath the surface of a frozen lake. It's a horrifying sequence made all the more so by calm and distance.
Using a non-linear approach to his narrative, Egoyan shifts back and forward in time, connecting us with the inhabitants of the small British Columbian town who have been severely affected by this tragedy. Fourteen children died in the accident, leaving their parents and the town itself paralyzed with grief.
The catalyst at the center of the film is ambulance chaser Mitchell Stephens (a wonderfully moving performance by Ian Holm), who comes to Sam Dent to persuade the townsfolk to engage in a class action suit.
Stephens, who "doesn't believe in accidents," functions as a concerned, involved observer, scribbling details in his notebook and providing the parents with an opportunity to reach some kind of closure in the harrowing aftermath. While Stephens' initial drive may be financial (one third of the total settlement if he wins), his involvement provides him more with an outlet to come to grips with his own loss. His self-destructive, drug-addicted daughter has been in and out of clinics, halfway houses and detox units for years.
Egoyan's attention to detail and ability to establish mood are so impeccable that even the sound of a kettle boiling resonates like a plaintive cry. Mychael Danna, who composed the shimmering music for "The Ice Storm," contributes another memorable score that shivers and tingles. Equally impressive is Paul Sarossy's cinematography, capturing the imposing Canadian mountainsides and low-hanging fogs as splendidly as his shadowy interiors--in one scene a bright wall calendar serves to illuminate portions of a room.
"The Sweet Hereafter," while undeniably grim, urges the viewer to grab onto life with both hands and not let go. It's a film of generous subtlety and emotion.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@mail.med.upenn.edu
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