Taglines: There is no such thing as the simple truth.
The Sweet Hereafter movie storyline. In the small town of Sam Dent, British Columbia, a school bus hits a patch of ice, runs through a barrier and crashes into a lake, killing 14 children. The grieving parents are approached by an out-of-town lawyer, Mitchell Stephens, who is haunted by his dysfunctional relationship with his drug-addict daughter. Stephens persuades the reluctant parents and bus driver Dolores Driscoll to file a class action lawsuit against the town and bus company for damages, arguing that the accident is a result of negligence in constructing the barrier or the bus.
The case depends on the few surviving witnesses to say the right things in court, particularly Nicole Burnell, a 15-year-old now paralyzed from the waist down. Before the accident, Nicole was an aspiring songwriter and was being sexually abused by her father, Sam. One bereaved parent, Billy Ansel, distrusts Stephens and pressures Sam to drop the case; Nicole overhears their argument.
The Sweet Hereafter is a 1997 Canadian drama film written and directed by Atom Egoyan, starring Ian Holm, Sarah Polley and Bruce Greenwood and adapted from the novel of the same name by Russell Banks. The film tells the story of a school bus accident in a small town that results in the deaths of numerous children. A class-action lawsuit ensues, proving divisive in the community and becoming tied in with personal and family issues.
Although The Sweet Hereafter was not a box office success, it was critically acclaimed and won three awards, including the Grand Prix, at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, along with seven Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture. It also received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Toronto International Film Festival critics named The Sweet Hereafter one of the Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time.
The film was shot in British Columbia and Ontario,] on a budget of $5 million. Funding came from the company Alliance Communications. Egoyan assembled many Canadian actors he had worked with in prior films, including Bruce Greenwood, Gabrielle Rose and Sarah Polley. Egoyan explained the benefit of working with a familiar cast, saying “When you’re working on a limited production schedule, it’s a comfort to know that you know the personalities involved, you know what they need as opposed to having to discover that and be surprised by that.”
Ian Holm was cast as Mitchell Stephens after the actor originally set to play the character, Donald Sutherland, quit the project.[15] In casting the part, Egoyan was inspired by Holm’s “strangely compassionate, yet furtive and menacing” performance in The Homecoming (1973). Holm explained why he accepted the role, saying, “It’s not often you get offered a leading role at age 65… This is my first in a movie,” and afterwards said the film is “very touching” and “a masterpiece.” Holm called his part challenging, as it was his first lead, but he found Egoyan and the Canadian actors to be great to work with.
The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
Directed by: Atom Egoyan
Starring: Ian Holm, Maury Chaykin, Peter Donaldson, Brooke Johnson, Bruce Greenwood, Arsinée Khanjian, Stephanie Morgenstern, Sarah Polley, Gabrielle Rose, Alberta Watson
Screenplay by: Atom Egoyan
Production Design by: Phillip Barker
Cinematography by: Paul Sarossy
Film Editing by: Susan Shipton
Costume Design by: Beth Pasternak
Set Decoration by: Patricia Cuccia
Art Direction by: Kathleen Climie
Music by: Mychael Danna
Distributed by: Fine Line Features
Release Date: October 10, 1997 (Canada)
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