The Sweet Hereafter

Sometimes the thin facade of a normal, happy social existence can't be maintained. Something happens that is just so shocking, terrible, so unbearable, that the social fabric itself comes apart and the destruction continues after the initial event taking us along to explore unforeseen consequences. The emotional foundations of the individual characters themselves fall apart. This is what you can see here and the experience could be overwhelming despite the inclusion of alternative perspectives to help us cope. There are many different kinds of victims and it can be difficult to watch not only for the reasons you might think. However, this film is worthwhile for its insights and what it reveals about being human in the face of catastrophe when hidden pain can no longer be masked.If you tend to avoid foreign films or others that rely upon the content of dialogue then consider avoiding this one too. It is slow moving, carefully considered, well crafted and reflective. By coincidence, it actually is a foreign film although the event it is based upon is American. That is the point of departure. Although Atom Egoyan is highly respected, his work is not going to be everyone's favorite in part because of his prominent individuality. Until recently his work has been especially personal and decidedly not particularly concerned with our familiar Hollywood movie recipe for a mass audience. It is a subjective matter in either case. I happen to be appreciate what some might call his "arty" films but not at the exclusion of many other directors' genres and styles as well. There are so many genres, intentions, purposes and range in what we can expect to experience in Amazon's videos. You also might be an omnivore. Regardless, it is worth a moment to consider where this one fits into a bigger conversation in order for you to take into account seeing it as well as considering doing so at the most appropriate time for its content and treatment. It will not suit everyone or will it be for every mood and circumstance.It is especially sad, powerful and intense because we witness both the loss of innocents as well as lost innocence within a social microcosm. It is not intended to take you away from your troubles, offer light amusement, the thrill of chase scenes or create suspenseful moments for the hero before ultimately reaching his or her mandatory happy ending. It is a disturbing experience that asks questions and makes us ponder.In the broadest sense it is a film as opposed to being a movie. By movie I mean the popcorn variety, undemanding entertainment that satisfies a very familiar set of expectations. This is not about making a distinction between being superior or inferior. I also happen to like popcorn movies. The is not one and it is important to know ahead of time what this involves. Egoyan offers us something we just might not be in the right mood to be emotionally and intellectually challenged tonight but for some of us, we could be another time. That is just fine. But note it is not the film's fault. Choose appropriately and perhaps you can give it a chance when your expectations are better in tune with what this film offers. Amazon offers many different kinds of choices although conventional Hollywood template ones dominate numerically. This one happens to be relatively unusual and in its own way is sufficiently accomplished that it is noteworthy. You will get more out of it if you are willing to pay closer attention than is usually the case with most Hollywood action and comedy alternatives. Personally, I also choose the latter when I do not want to be closely attentive or more deeply engaged. Maybe that rings true for you too--the times you just want to relax and unwind--so you choose a title that helps that happen. And obviously it gets a lot more complicated than this with quite a range and kind of commitment demanded within the videos considered to be more serious than entertaining.This film might have to be labelled "art" to get my point across but I hesitate because I do not like the notion of snobbery that is often associated with that term. The usual arguments that ignite from conflicting agendas are not particularly interesting or helpful to share here. You do not have to pick a side. The medium itself has lots of variety, intentions and purpose. Each has its own appeal in the right circumstances so let's be grateful for that and simply choose to enjoy as many different ones as we want. I see no reason to be exclusive although that too is individual choice. In this film's case I do not mind the relative lack of shootouts, explosions and car chases. I know where to find lots of them for other occasions. This unusual film lives through its words and the excellent delivery they get from this talented cast. It just might surprise you for what it offers despite it being based upon a sad event that shocked an entire community.But be prepared. The subject matter goes beyond a singular, plot driven level of dramatic sadness. It is not simply a dramatic device. It is what gets revealed after the fatal accident that itself is also devastating. It is the further, more complex consequences of the original tragic event, the community's shared tragedy, that is the seismic disturbance that ultimately reveals much more. It comes down to the individual and specific level and not always as one might expect. The director uses this to take you deeper.If you find you appreciate this work then I also recommend getting to know more about Atom Egoyan, the questions he asks about the human condition, the influence of his ethnic identity, his recurrent themes as well as prominent historical, social and other intellectual interests as they appeal to you. He is not the most famous director but he is one of the more interesting ones, IMO.

In "The Sweet Hereafter" director Atom Egoyan expands on his view of the free will versus destiny argument. As in his earlier film "Exotica", exercise of free will is generally limited to the choice of substitutes. The process of living being simply a process of substitution. We grow out of things and find substitutes for them. We lose something precious but we carry on by finding a substitute. We need something we can't have so we find something that works as a substitute. Sometimes the substitutes are an improvement on the original, sometimes they are a better match with a new stage of life, sometimes they are an imperfect substitute but the best that we can manage, and sometimes (certainly in "The Sweet Hereafter") they can become an addictive trap that keep people from moving on.Substitutes that signal an acceptance of the need/opportunity for change are generally positive. The Otto's substitute an adopted child for the son they can't have biologically, Billy's affair with Risa is a substitute for his dead wife and he is a substitute for her inattentive husband. Billy's children substitute Nicole for their absent mother. Delores substitutes the children on her bus for the children she has been unable to have.Not so positive are substitutes that inadequately compensate for the unattainable. Mitchell Stephens serves as a victims' advocate as a substitute for his inability to influence his daughter's self-destructive behavior, his zeal to compensate impairs his basic humanity and good judgement. And the vicarious thrill Sam gets from his daughter's musical career is a substitute for his failure to achieve that kind of success.But the most dysfunctional substitutes in "The Sweet Hereafter" are those chosen as a way to "delay" acceptance of a change. Sam's incest is a way for him to delay confronting the fact that he is growing old. The initiation of legal action over the accident is not just a way to release anger but a way to delay acceptance of the loss and of having to confront living without the children. Billy has already been through the grieving process and understands that delay is a bad idea.But Egoyan also wants us to understand that while we can freely choose our substitutes, we are subject to random events that are beyond our control. Some of these are accidents, with varying degrees of human complicity; some are just events that happen outside human control. Like those who die on the "Bridge of San Luis Rey", there was a randomness about the victims on the school bus. Some survived the accident itself, Jenny stayed home sick that day, and Danny begged to stay home but was placed on the bus by his mother.Stephen's story about rushing his three-year old daughter to the hospital is inserted for a reason. He recalls being willing to do whatever had to be done to save her life. He still feels that way but is powerless to change her downward spiral, and consumed by guilt over his real or imagined contributions to her mental state. He cannot help her so his substitute is to help real and imagined victims. Symbolized by the broken car wash, Zoe's rejuvenation is impossible, as is his until he accepts what he cannot control and no longer needs to compensate with a substitute. Like Stevens the town must accept what has occurred and learn to live in the strange new childless place that it has become. Look to the movie's title.Foreshadowing occurs when Risa comments to Billy that his following the schoolbus gives his children something to look forward to, just as the two of them look forward to their motel room hook-ups. Sam and Nicole look forward to their rock concert fantesy "kissy" sessions by candlelight in the barn. And a community's children are its looking forward factor.Robert Browning's "The Pied Piper of Hamlin" - is inserted at various points in the story as a counterpoint for the town's three pipers. 1)Mitchell Stephens has come to rain ruin on this town by seducing the townspeople with the prospect of delaying their acceptance of the tragedy. 2)Sam has seduced his daughter with a fantasy that played upon her desire for his love. But the randomness that made her a "wheelchair girl" has also liberated her. 3) Nicole is angry like the Piper and lies to put an end to the possibility of a successful lawsuit. Her lie both implicates and liberates Dolores who otherwise would have continued to live in the town, believing that her neighbors did not hold her responsible for the accident while subjecting herself to the daily reminders of her absent children. Her new job and life in another town is a constructive change and the film's final substitution.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Whilst the story is quietly compelling and absorbing, its worth watching this movie simply for Mychael Danna's haunting soundtrack. Also as an added bonus, you get to hear Sarah Polley sing too! Her version of Courage has received some rave reviews all over the net, and its a shame that (other than contributing to the soundtrack album) Sarah has never produced a full album of her own.

great film. As my partner is an big movie fan i saw this and though of him. We sat down and watched the sweet hereafter and i loved it this film is now one of my top 10 films.

The box of this DVD arrived completely broken

There's only one word for it: breathtaking!

excellent