THE SWEET HEREAFTER

Canada, 1996, 110 minutes, Colour.
Ian Holm, Sara Polley, Bruce Greenwood, Arsinee Khanjian, Alberta Watson, Maury Chaykin.
Directed by Atom Egoyan.

The Sweet Hereafter is from one of Canada's leading directors, Atom Egoyan. Although complex in its structure, especially with flashbacks and flash forwards, this is one of Egoyan's more immediately accessible films. Basically, an insurance investigator with his own family problems (Ian Holm), especially an addict daughter, comes to talk to parents of children who were killed in a school bus accident. The film studies him as well as exploring the lives of many of the characters in the remote town. There is a great deal to think about as we look at relationships, family tangles, violence and sexual abuse and try to understand the effects of the accident. The Sweet Hereafter won the Ecumenical Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, 1997. Thoughtful.

1. The films of Atom Egoyan? His interests, themes? His style of writing, complexity? Visual style? This film's awards?

2. The title and its meaning, the reference to the hereafter of the events by Nicole?

3. The Canadian setting, the town, the wintry countryside? The glimpses of life in the small town? The contrast with Mitchell's world, enclosed? The musical score?

4. The structure of the screenplay: the variety of times, interlocking times, flashbacks and flash forwards? The impact of this interplay rather than a linear presentation? The accident and the events of 1995? Mitchell and the aftermath of his looking for business and the collapse of the case, his flight home in 1997?

5. The background of the Pied Piper of Hamelin? Nicole's reading it to the children? Her recitation of the verses at appropriate places throughout the film? The theme of children, the enchantment, their being lost? The crippled boy who missed out going to the Land of Enchantment? Remaining and lamenting his fate? Who was the Pied Piper of the film? Mitchell and his offers of money and compensation? The focus on Sam's mouth as Nicole recited the poem at the end?

6. The use of the theme of lost children? The innocence gone out of the community? The parents and their way of life, morality? Guilt and responsibility? The change with the deaths of their children? Repentance and atonement? The life of the community broken forever?

7. The introduction and the variety of strands to the story, the situation of the children's death, Mitchell and his going to do business? A straightforward episode presented in a mysterious and symbolic manner?

8. The introduction to Mitchell, in himself, anxiety, the phone calls and the alienation from his daughter, his inability to communicate with her, his being hurt by her separation, not ringing for long times, the drugs and detoxification? The carwash and his thinking, the phone call in the carwash? His being trapped - and ringing to get out? The umbrella, the isolation and motivation as he went to seek business with the bereaved parents?

9. The legal issues of suing, Mitch and his own personal motivation, getting business, his insinuating himself into the families, ingratiating himself? The ambiguity of his personal motivations? His strategies, the variety of targets, companies rather than individuals? The roles of the other lawyers taking on the cases? His powers of persuasion, the trust of the parents? Eliciting motivation from the parents that they sue, greed and selfishness? The nature of the compensation, the nature of their vengeance?

10. The contrast with Mitch on the plane in 1997? All that he had gone through, the collapse of the case, his own personal experiences in following the case? The audience not knowing this at first? The discussion with the girl on the plane, the coincidence of her knowing his daughter, the daughter of his partner, yet his not connecting her with this? His reaction to the flight attendants, and his being particular about the meal? His telling his story to Alison? The flashbacks? The descriptions of his daughter and her treatment, the hospitals? Her continued relapses? The importance of the story and the flashbacks to her early life? The bedroom scene of husband and wife with child? The story of her illness, the advice of the doctor, having the knife ready to cut her throat for her to breathe? His possibility of giving her life? The later disruption of the marriage and the family? The final news of her being HIV-positive?

11. The brief portrait of the daughter, life given her as a child, her illness and her life being restored? Growing up, her being lost and alienated, the drugs and the treatment, HIV? Her desperation and her phone calls? Her absent mother and the separation of her parents?

12. The introduction to the parents of the bereaved children? Mitch going to the motel, meeting Risa and Wesley? Getting the information about which parents he should consult, the suggestions about their misconduct and their being under suspicion? His phone call and the argument between Risa and Wesley?

13. The hippy parents, genial, their love for their child, their way of bringing him up? Mitch's visit, the hippy style and contemplation, their hospitality? The mother and her grief and anger? Agreeing to sue?

14. Billy, his work, telling his story, following the children in the bus, his delight in his children, waving to them? His horror at the accident, seeing it all, his grief and identifying the bodies? His affair with Risa? Going to the motel, the deception? Their talking together? His memories of his wife? After the accident and his waiting at the motel, the alienation between the two? His comment about the nights where he waited and she didn't come - and his memories of the past? Risa and her own son, mentally impaired, taking him to the bus, entrusting him to Dolores and Nicole? Her personal grief? Her listening to Mitch? The contrast with Billy, his listening to Mitch, his not wanting the compensation, not wanting to relive the accident? His refusing to give testimony - and the fact that he had kept the bus in good order?

15. Nicole's story: initially seeing her singing, her relationship with her father, their seeming to be a pair? His being a songwriter? His promoting a career, the candles - and the incestuous overtones of the sequence? Her work as a babysitter, her love for Billy's children, his giving her his wife's clothes (and Risa's later comments on this)? Reading the Pied Piper to them? On the bus, Risa's son in her care? Her surviving, the hospital experience, the return home, seeing her mother and sister? Her father's reaction?

16. Her overhearing Billy and his discussion with her parents about the suing? Her decision to go and give evidence? Her decision to tell lies, the speed of the bus, her own fear and Dolores' behaviour? The lawyer and his reactions? Mitch and his dismay? Her destroying the case, their not getting compensation? Her belief in Billy? Her motivation towards her father? Her being the crippled child unable to follow the children and the piper? The close-up on Sam's lips as she was speaking about the Pied Piper? Her future?

17. The portrait of Sam, his love for his daughter, the age difference, infatuation, the candle sequence? Bringing her home from hospital, the discussions about her future, her taunting him with the fact that she couldn't live up to his expectations and be the star? His loss of compensation through her action?

18. Dolores and the genial bus driver, taking the children at the fair to see the rabbits, picking them up for school, chatting with them? The skid and the bus sinking? Her being interrogated by Mitch? The fact of her survival and injury, her husband with a stroke and his support of her? The artwork? The effect on Mitch? The husband not wanting to sue? Her reliving the situation and her love for the children? Later her being seen as picking up the hotel guests in the bus - her looking at Mitch?

19. The sweet hereafter, the aftermath of the events, the community scattering, broken, never being the same again? The mystery of suffering and evil, despairs and hopes?