797

Nothing wrong with the film in theory as it's certainly very well crafted, I just tend to hate movies that make me feel like shit.

A fine little film, with a wonderful performance from Ian Holm.

Bleak and depressing but never maudlin or sentimental. It's about as honest a depiction of tragedy and grief as you're likely to find. The nonlinear structure allows the material to progress on an emotional level and arrive at the feelings and depths of its characters gradually. The acting (especially Holm) is excellent, the cinematography is beautiful, the soundtrack is lovely, and the direction is pitch-perfect - you'd have to look long and hard to find anything wrong with this one.

Emotionally devastating portrait of the aftermath of a disaster on a small town, as seen through the eyes of a desperate ambulance-chasing attorney. Brilliant work by Sarah Polley in a delicate role. The accident itself is handled simply and breathtakingly.

Like a puzzle, this film slowly reveals its great emotional complexity through non-linear structure. Fortunately, it avoids melodramatic sentiment throughout. Ian Holm's character is really interesting; a self-appointed public avenger whose cynicism eats away at himself and a small community.

A succinctly and perceptively structured meditation on mortality and tragedy that repeatedly hits the right emotional notes. Thematically, the various parallels and mirrors drawn by Egoyan are starkly sucessful and the themes explored are meticulously covered and intriguing. The atmosphere of mourning that pervades the narrative renders the film thoroughly immersive when laid along the serene pacing. With these various successes, Egoyan reveals his mastery of the narrative and cinematic form.

Great acting especially from Ian Holm, great cinematography (the many slowly panning shots work well!), great music,... The story itself doesn't satisfy me as much, but the tension really builds up well through the many flashbacks and -forwards.

There is a beautiful sadness in this film's dance between the perspectives of its characters, and its exploration of how individuals cope with the grief and awkwardness of their situation. Holm is particularly compelling as the duplicitous lawyer who seems to care even as he wheedles, and whose calculating compassion dulls his life. The tone is somber, but the character's simple changes are surprisingly hopeful, as they each attempt to reconcile their misfortunes with the lives ahead of them.

fuckyeah!

Such a complex story delivered with grace.

Lynchian. Throughout the majority it felt like a sophomoric TV-movie, with patronising script, cloying melodrama, poor acting, and irksome editing (not to mention Ian Holm, who can't seem to decide on his accent). But there is a point at which The Sweet Hereafter caught me off-guard and became a surrealist comic-noir set in purgatory. Indeed, for all its ills, it left me quivering in quasi-existential terror; where I realise the poor beginning may have existed solely to cleanse me of prejudice.

Well constructed story that thankfully doesn't bother to tie up every loose end. Also has a nice, slow pace to it. Could perhaps have been even more subtle, I'm not sure how I feel about the voice-over, citing a tale that becomes something of a parabel for the drama that plays out between the characters.

Just couldn't get interested in the film at all!

Surely one of the best examples of vision on film in last twenty years. A perfect film, totally heartbreaking.

One of the best directed films I've ever seen. However, if you don't like sad stories, it's not for you. I personally can't get enough of them, and this is the cream of the crop for documenting the unraveling of good human beings, who may not be so good after all.

Great movie about the arbitrary nature of tragedy.

So dense and so much going on at all times it's hard to swallow all the information being thrown at you. It's subtlety done right. But it's done in such a precise and engrossing way that you can't look away. The flashforward/flashback is aptly used so that you always wonder what's coming next. The bus crash scene was one of the best filmed things I've seen in quite awhile. Loved the character of Billy but I was honestly hoping for more of a conclusion then what they gave me.

Good Movie

Uneven. Halfway through the focus shifts, which is hurtful to the film. The characters end up seeming bland and you feel sort of "uninvolved" - considering that the films overall theme is the loss of children, it's a pretty important that you feel involved.

#842

Engaging drama with a few amazing scenes and shots. The non-linear structure works great, constantly adding more pieces of information to fill out the big picture. It doesn't really build to an amazing payoff though. Still, the themes are woven into the film nicely, the time flies by and it never becomes melodramatic.

This is an outstanding drama with two great performances by Ian Holm and Sarah Polley. The director lets the story unfold in a nonlinear fashion that adds to the film. I highly recommend this film