When a tragic accident befalls a small town, an opportunistic lawyer arrives with the temptation of a class action lawsuit, and his investigation uncovers dark local secrets, as well as shedding light on his own painful family issues.



Atom Egoyan has been one of the key figures in the Canadian Film Industry since the mid-1980's, and one of the key changes he made in adapting the bestselling novel by Russell Banks was to move the setting from Upstate New York to his home province of British Columbia. In additon, Egoyan inserted readings of Robert Browning's version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin folk tale to comment on the story and its themes.



Most of the actors in the film are Canadian and come from Egoyan's stock company, and many have appeared in films by fellow countryman David Cronenberg, an exception being British actor Ian Holm (known to most as Bilbo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings trilogy). Some have had success in Hollywood as well, particularly Bruce Greenwood (I'm Not There, Star Trek, Capote) and Sarah Polley, who has gone on to become an acclaimed writer and director with her multi Oscar-nominated film Away From Her. Polley also performs songs in the film, including one she wrote with Mychael Danna, the score composer.



Egoyan's signature style of many interlocking characters and non-linear storytelling meshes well with the source material, which is narrated by four different protagonists. Other examples of his approach include Exotica, Where The Truth Lies, and Ararat, the latter a film where Egoyan explores his Armenian heritage through a multi-layered film about the Armenian Genoicide and its fallout through several generations.



Banks did a great deal of publicity in support of the film, and even claimed it was an improvement on his novel. After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, it won the runner-up award to the Palme d'Or as well as the Critics Prize. Despite having no well-known actors or much success at the box office, The Sweet Herafter fared very well with American critics, and managed to secure Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. At the annual Canadian Genie Awards, the film received a whopping 16 nominations, with wins for Best Picture, Direction, Cinematography, Lead Actor (Holm), Score, Sound, and Sound Editing.



Film runs approx. 110 minutes.

(CLICK on pictures to enlarge)