The Sweet Hereafter
Seen it?1997 | 112 min | Drama
Friday Night FlickWhy it’s a Friday Night Flick
Critics loved it (98% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it drew serious awards attention. Make plans for this one.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who loves a strong drama. If you loved The Rainmaker or Ford v Ferrari, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Emotional (bring tissues).
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 52 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
A small mountain community in Canada is devastated when a school bus accident leaves more than a dozen of its children dead. A big-city lawyer arrives to help the survivors' and victims' families prepare a class-action suit, but his efforts only seem to push the townspeople further apart. At the same time, one teenage survivor of the accident has to reckon with the loss of innocence brought about by a different kind of damage.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
98% on Rotten Tomatoes, 91 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.9 out of 10
- AwardsStrong
Won 1 Cannes award: Cannes Film Festival: Best Cinematography in Theatrical Feature. Won 1 WGA Award: Writers Guild of Canada: Best Canadian Feature Film. Won 1 Independent Spirit Award: Independent Spirit Awards: Best Foreign Film. Also nominated for 2 Oscars. Plus 17 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerSolid
$8 million worldwide on a $5 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 88K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Atom Egoyan
- Ian HolmMitchell Stephens
- Sarah PolleyNicole Burnell
- Tom McCamusSam Burnell
- Gabrielle RoseDolores Driscoll
- Alberta WatsonRisa Walker
- Caerthan BanksZoe Stephens
- Maury ChaykinWendell Walker
- Stephanie MorgensternAllison
- Bruce GreenwoodBilly Ansel
- Arsinée KhanjianWanda Otto