.gif)
The Sweet Hereafter (film)
Encyclopedia
The Sweet Hereafter is a 1997 Canadian film written and directed by Atom Egoyan
. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name
by Russell Banks
.
accident in which numerous local children are killed. Hardly able to cope with the loss, their grieving parents are approached by a lawyer
, Mitchell Stephens (Ian Holm
), who wants them to sue for damages
by claiming the bus was faulty. Stephens is aware that urging for a class action suit while the town is so aggrieved is ethically questionable, but persists anyway. He is meanwhile haunted by his dysfunctional relationship with his own adult daughter whom he may soon lose permanently to drug abuse. At first most of the parents are reluctant to sue, but eventually they are persuaded by Stephens that filing a class action
lawsuit
would ease their minds and also be the right thing to do.
As most of the children are dead, the case now depends on the few surviving witnesses to say the right things in court. In particular, it is 15-year-old Nicole Burnell (Sarah Polley
), who was sitting at the front of the bus and is now paralyzed
from the waist down, whose deposition
is all-important. Before the accident, Nicole was a budding country music prodigy and she senses that her parents want justice and a large cash settlement to replace her lost music earnings—and not necessarily in that order. In the pretrial deposition, she unexpectedly accuses driver Dolores Driscoll (Gabrielle Rose
) of speeding and thus causing the accident. When she does so, all hopes of holding the bus company liable vanish along the possibility of a big settlement. It is implied that Nicole's motivation was partly to thwart and punish her parents, especially her sexually abusive father. Those involved know that Nicole is lying but can do nothing. The trial never occurs, leaving the townspeople, and Stephens, to cope in other ways with the uncertain future.
's commentary track. Not only did Banks approve of the adaptation, but he also freely admitted that this was one instance in which the film was better than the book.
In adapting the novel, Egoyan changed the setting from Upstate New York
to Canada
. Another major change is Egoyan's addition of references to the story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin
by Robert Browning
, which Nicole is seen reading to children who later die in the accident. In that story, the Pied Piper leads all the children away, never to return, after their parents refuse to honour their debt to him. The only child left in the now-childless town is a crippled child who was unable to follow the Piper's song and now wishes he could have gone with the other children. In the movie, the survivor, Nicole, clearly identifies with this child, in contrast to her motivation in the novel (where she is primarily acting out of anger against her father).
; Merritt, British Columbia
; Spences Bridge, British Columbia
; Stouffville, Ontario; and Toronto, Ontario.
's score, which is heavily influenced by Medieval
and Renaissance music
with frequent appearances of a flute
.
Polley's character, Nicole, was an aspiring singer before the accident, and is seen on stage at various points in the film performing both The Tragically Hip
's "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)
" and Jane Siberry's "One More Colour". The Tragically Hip's original version of "Courage" also appears in the film.
, with an average score of 8.9/10 based on 53 reviews, and a 100% rating based on 15 "Top Critic" reviews.
In 2002, readers of Playback
voted it the greatest Canadian film ever made.
: the FIPRESCI Prize, the Grand Prize of the Jury
, and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
. It won Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor (Holm), and three other prizes at the Genie Awards for Canadian Films. It was also nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 70th Academy Awards
, but lost to Titanic
and L.A. Confidential
, respectively.
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name
The Sweet Hereafter
The Sweet Hereafter is a 1991 novel by American author Russell Banks. It is set in a small town in the aftermath of a deadly school bus accident that has killed most of the town's children...
by Russell Banks
Russell Banks
Russell Banks is an American writer of fiction and poetry.- Biography :Russell Banks was born in Newton, Massachusetts on March 28, 1940. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in upstate New York, and has been named a New York State Author. He is also...
.
Plot
Life is difficult in a small town in British Columbia, Canada in the wake of a terrible school busSchool bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
accident in which numerous local children are killed. Hardly able to cope with the loss, their grieving parents are approached by a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, Mitchell Stephens (Ian Holm
Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear...
), who wants them to sue for damages
Damages
In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...
by claiming the bus was faulty. Stephens is aware that urging for a class action suit while the town is so aggrieved is ethically questionable, but persists anyway. He is meanwhile haunted by his dysfunctional relationship with his own adult daughter whom he may soon lose permanently to drug abuse. At first most of the parents are reluctant to sue, but eventually they are persuaded by Stephens that filing a class action
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
would ease their minds and also be the right thing to do.
As most of the children are dead, the case now depends on the few surviving witnesses to say the right things in court. In particular, it is 15-year-old Nicole Burnell (Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress, singer, film director, and screenwriter. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series, Road to Avonlea...
), who was sitting at the front of the bus and is now paralyzed
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
from the waist down, whose deposition
Deposition (law)
In the law of the United States, a deposition is the out-of-court oral testimony of a witness that is reduced to writing for later use in court or for discovery purposes. It is commonly used in litigation in the United States and Canada and is almost always conducted outside of court by the...
is all-important. Before the accident, Nicole was a budding country music prodigy and she senses that her parents want justice and a large cash settlement to replace her lost music earnings—and not necessarily in that order. In the pretrial deposition, she unexpectedly accuses driver Dolores Driscoll (Gabrielle Rose
Gabrielle Rose (actress)
Gabrielle Rose is an accomplished Canadian actress. She has an extensive resume that includes multiple nominations for Genie Awards and Gemini Awards...
) of speeding and thus causing the accident. When she does so, all hopes of holding the bus company liable vanish along the possibility of a big settlement. It is implied that Nicole's motivation was partly to thwart and punish her parents, especially her sexually abusive father. Those involved know that Nicole is lying but can do nothing. The trial never occurs, leaving the townspeople, and Stephens, to cope in other ways with the uncertain future.
Cast
- Ian HolmIan HolmSir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear...
as Mitchell Stephens (lawyer) - Caerthan Banks as Zoe Stephens (daughter)
- Sarah PolleySarah PolleySarah Polley is a Canadian actress, singer, film director, and screenwriter. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series, Road to Avonlea...
as Nicole Burnell (victim) - Tom McCamusTom McCamusTom McCamus is an award-winning Canadian film and theatre actor who is most widely known for his work on the science-fiction television show Mutant X....
as Sam Burnell (father) - Brooke Johnson as Mary Burnell (mother)
- Alberta WatsonAlberta WatsonFaith Susan Alberta Watson , known professionally as Alberta Watson, is a Canadian movie and television series actress.-Early life:...
as Risa Walker (parent) - Maury ChaykinMaury ChaykinMaury Alan Chaykin was an American-born Canadian actor. Best known for his portrayal of detective Nero Wolfe, he was also known for his work as a character actor in many films and on television programs.-Personal life:...
as Wendell Walker (parent) - Bruce GreenwoodBruce GreenwoodBruce Greenwood is a Canadian actor and musician. He is generally known for his roles as U.S. presidents in Thirteen Days and National Treasure: Book of Secrets and for his role as Captain Christopher Pike in the 2009 Star Trek film...
as Billy Ansel (parent) - Gabrielle RoseGabrielle Rose (actress)Gabrielle Rose is an accomplished Canadian actress. She has an extensive resume that includes multiple nominations for Genie Awards and Gemini Awards...
as Dolores Driscoll (bus driver) - David HemblenDavid HemblenDavid Hemblen is an English-born actor who frequently works in Canadian film, television and theater. He was a mainstay on the television series Earth: Final Conflict, playing Jonathan Doors, and played recurring roles in A Nero Wolfe Mystery and La Femme Nikita . He voiced Magneto on the popular...
as Abbott Driscoll (husband)) - Arsinée KhanjianArsinée KhanjianArsinée Khanjian is an Armenian-Canadian actress and producer. In addition to her independent work and stage roles, she is regularly cast by her husband, Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, in his films...
as Wanda Otto (parent) - Earl PastkoEarl PastkoEarl Pastko an American - Canadian actor. Born December 10, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois. He stands approximately 5"9" and he's a founding member of the Remains Theater Company. He moved to Canada in 1984. He's best known for roles in as Colonel Alexi Zukhov, Highway 61 and The Sweet Hereafter...
as Hartley Otto (parent) - Stephanie MorgensternStephanie MorgensternStephanie Grace Morgenstern is a Swiss-Canadian actress, filmmaker, and screenwriter for television and film. Born in Geneva, Switzerland and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Morgenstern began her acting career when she was 15. She has worked extensively on stage, film, and television in both English...
as Allison O'Donnell (airline passenger) - Mychael DannaMychael DannaMychael Danna is a Canadian film composer.-Life and career:Mychael Danna is the brother of fellow composer Jeff Danna. He has been scoring films since his 1987 feature debut for Atom Egoyan's Family Viewing, a score which earned Danna the first of his thirteen Genie Award nominations. He has won...
as Live band harmonium player (uncredited)
Adaptation
Banks approved of Egoyan's adaptation, playing a cameo role as the town doctor, and discussing the film with Egoyan in the DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
's commentary track. Not only did Banks approve of the adaptation, but he also freely admitted that this was one instance in which the film was better than the book.
In adapting the novel, Egoyan changed the setting from Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Another major change is Egoyan's addition of references to the story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the subject of a legend concerning the departure or death of a great many children from the town of Hamelin , Lower Saxony, Germany, in the Middle Ages. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in pied clothing, leading the children away from the town never...
by Robert Browning
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
, which Nicole is seen reading to children who later die in the accident. In that story, the Pied Piper leads all the children away, never to return, after their parents refuse to honour their debt to him. The only child left in the now-childless town is a crippled child who was unable to follow the Piper's song and now wishes he could have gone with the other children. In the movie, the survivor, Nicole, clearly identifies with this child, in contrast to her motivation in the novel (where she is primarily acting out of anger against her father).
Production
The movie was filmed in five locations: Moha, British ColumbiaMoha, British Columbia
Moha is a rural locality located at the confluence of the Bridge and Yalakom Rivers, 30 km northwest of Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada. The name derives from that of a rock formation on the north bank of the Yalakom River overlooking the confluence, meaning "land of plenty" and which...
; Merritt, British Columbia
Merritt, British Columbia
Merritt is a city in the Nicola Valley of the south-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Situated at the confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater rivers, it is the first major community encountered after travelling along Phase One of the Coquihalla Highway and acts as the gateway to all...
; Spences Bridge, British Columbia
Spences Bridge, British Columbia
Spences Bridge is a community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, situated 23 miles north east of Lytton and 32 miles from Ashcroft. In 1892, the population included 32 people of European ancestry and 130 First Nations people. There were 5 general stores, 3 hotels, one Church of England...
; Stouffville, Ontario; and Toronto, Ontario.
Music
The Pied Piper theme is further enhanced through Mychael DannaMychael Danna
Mychael Danna is a Canadian film composer.-Life and career:Mychael Danna is the brother of fellow composer Jeff Danna. He has been scoring films since his 1987 feature debut for Atom Egoyan's Family Viewing, a score which earned Danna the first of his thirteen Genie Award nominations. He has won...
's score, which is heavily influenced by Medieval
Medieval music
Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the early fifteenth century...
and Renaissance music
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
with frequent appearances of a flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
.
Polley's character, Nicole, was an aspiring singer before the accident, and is seen on stage at various points in the film performing both The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
's "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)
Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)
"Courage" is a song by The Tragically Hip, released as the third single from their 1992 album Fully Completely. The song's bracketed title references the late author Hugh MacLennan, particularly his 1959 novel The Watch That Ends the Night which is paraphrased in the song's lyrics.The song was...
" and Jane Siberry's "One More Colour". The Tragically Hip's original version of "Courage" also appears in the film.
Reception
The film received overwhelming critical acclaim upon its release. It holds a rare 100% rating at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, with an average score of 8.9/10 based on 53 reviews, and a 100% rating based on 15 "Top Critic" reviews.
In 2002, readers of Playback
Playback (magazine)
Playback is a Canadian film, broadcasting and interactive media website owned by Brunico Communications. In May 2010, after 24 years of publication, Playback magazine stopped publishing its biweekly print edition....
voted it the greatest Canadian film ever made.
Awards
The Sweet Hereafter won three awards at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival1997 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Isabelle Adjani *Gong Li *Mira Sorvino *Paul Auster *Tim Burton *Luc Bondy *Patrick Dupond *Mike Leigh *Nanni Moretti *Michael Ondaatje -Feature film competition:...
: the FIPRESCI Prize, the Grand Prize of the Jury
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
, and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
The Prize of the Ecumenical Jury is an independent film award for feature films at the Cannes Film Festival since 1974. The Ecumenical Jury is one of three juries at the Cannes Film Festival, along with the official jury and the FIPRESCI jury. The award was created by Christian film makers, film...
. It won Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor (Holm), and three other prizes at the Genie Awards for Canadian Films. It was also nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 70th Academy Awards
70th Academy Awards
The 70th Academy Awards were noted for their high ratings and the 11 wins obtained by the Best Picture Titanic. Billy Crystal hosted the ceremony for the sixth time, and received an Emmy award for his performance....
, but lost to Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
and L.A. Confidential
L.A. Confidential (film)
L.A. Confidential is a 1997 American film based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same title, the third book in his L.A. Quartet. Both the book and the film tell the story of a group of LAPD officers in the 1950s, and the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity...
, respectively.