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The Sweet Hereafter
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Synopsis
Atom Egoyan's haunting adaptation of the Russell Banks novel The Sweet Hereafter was the Canadian filmmaker's most successful film to date, taking home a Special Grand Jury Prize at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival and scoring a pair of Academy Award nominations, including "Best Director." Restructured to fit Egoyan's signature mosaic narrative style, the story concerns the cultural aftershocks which tear apart a small British Columbia town in the wake of a schoolbus accident which leaves a number of local children dead. Ian Holm stars as Mitchell Stephens, a big-city lawyer who arrives in the interest of uniting the survivors to initiate a lawsuit; his maneuvering only drives the community further apart, reopening old wounds and jeopardizing any hopes of emotional recovery. Like so many of Egoyan's features, The Sweet Hereafter is a serious and painfully honest exploration of family grief; no character is immune from the sense of utter devastation which grips the film, not even the attorney, whose interests are in part motivated by his own remorse over the fate of his daughter, an HIV-positive drug addict. A sobering, beautifully-realized examination of the ties that bind -- and which can be severed at any time. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Cast

Maury Chaykin Wendell Walker
Bruce Greenwood Billy Ansell
David Hemblen
Ian Holm Mitchell Stephens
Arsinée Khanjian Wanda Otto
Tom McCamus Sam Burnell
Sarah Polley Nicole Burnell
Gabrielle Rose Dolores Driscoll
Alberta Watson Risa Walker

Production Crew

Kathleen Climie Art Director
Patricia Cuccia Art Director
David J.Webb Associate Producer
Russell Banks Book Author
Paul Sarossy Cinematographer
Mychael Danna Composer (Music Score)
Sarah Polley Composer (Music Score)
Beth Pasternak Costume Designer
Atom Egoyan Director
Susan Shipton Editor
Andras Hamori Executive Producer
Robert Lantos Executive Producer
Atom Egoyan Producer
Camelia Frieberg Producer
Philip Barker Production Designer
Phillip Barker Production Designer
Atom Egoyan Screenwriter
Andy Malcolm Sound Editor
David Dranie Taylor Sound Editor
Goro Koyama Sound Editor
Sue Conley Sound Editor
Daniel Pellerin Sound/Sound Designer
Keith Elliott Sound/Sound Designer
Peter Kelly Sound/Sound Designer
Ross Redfern Sound/Sound Designer
Steve Munro Sound/Sound Designer
Tony van den Akker Sound/Sound Designer
Year: 1997
Runtime: 110
Country: Canada
MPAA Rating: R
for sexuality and some language
Category: Feature

Genre
Drama

Produced by
Alliance Atlantis Communications
Ego Film Arts
Fine Line Features

Awards
1997 - Best Canadian Film - Toronto Film Critics Association
1997 - Best Ensemble Acting - National Board of Review
1997 - Best Foreign Film - Independent Spirit Award
1997 - Best Picture - National Board of Review
1997 - Best Picture - Toronto Film Critics Association
1997 - Best Picture (Runner-up) - National Society of Film Critics
1997 - FIPRESCI Award - Cannes International Film Festival
1997 - Grand Jury Prize - Cannes International Film Festival
1997 - Grand Jury Prize - Cannes Film Festival
1997 - FIPRESCI Award - Cannes Film Festival
1997 - Best Picture - Genie Awards
1997 - Grand Jury Prize - Cannes Film Festival
1997 - FIPRESCI Award - Cannes Film Festival
1997 - Best Picture - National Board of Review
1997 - Best Ensemble Acting - National Board of Review
1997 - Best Foreign Film - Independent Spirit Awards
1997 - Best Picture - Toronto Film Critics Association
1997 - Best Canadian Film - Toronto Film Critics Association
1997 - Best Picture (Runner-up) - National Society of Film Critics
1997 - Best Picture - Genie Awards
1997 - Film Presented - Telluride Film Festival