The Sweet Hereafter
A 1997 Canadian movie from director Atom Egoyan, about a small town in British Columbia dealing with the aftermath of a horrific school bus accident--the bus skids off a road due to a slick patch of ice and sinks into a frozen lake--that killed many of the town's children. The movie begins with a lawyer named Mitchell (Ian Holme)arriving in the town to try and persuade the grieving parents to join a class action suit against the makers of the schools bus, claiming it was defective. His arrival polarizes the town, with some families seeing the suit as a way to gain some closure, some seeing it as a potential financial windfall, and some seeing it as an outsider trying to profit from a tragedy.
The film doesn't have much of a plot, instead focusing more on the families in the small town and how they deal with what happened. The film is somewhat non-linear, with scenes from both before and after the accident throughout the movie. Egoyan chooses not to show the accident itself until fairly late in the film.
The film also uses an ongoing allegory, mostly relayed by 15 year old survivor Nicole (Sarah Polley), of the old story of the Pied Piper to examine the effects of removing most of the children from the village.
- Adults Are Useless: Played for tragedy. The bus driver survives the accident but can't save most of the children. Even worse, one of the fathers happens to be following the bus when it goes off the road, and can only watch helplessly as the bus sinks under the ice, killing both of his children.
- Adult Fear: The worst fear of an entire town come true.
- Also true for Mitchell, who is watching his beloved but estranged daughter succumb to drug addiction before his eyes. Made even more poignant when we learn later in the movie about an incident from her childhood in which she nearly died from a spider bite.
- Amoral Attorney: Many of the townspeople see Mitchell this way, and with good reason. After all, he is essentially an ambulance-chaser come to profit from a horrific tragedy. Of course, it gets more complicated when we learn more about Mitchell, who actually identifies with the town and genuinely thinks he's helping them. See Adult Fear above.
- Break the Cutie: Nicole, who was a budding country music prodigy before the accident, which left her paralyzed. Of course, she may already have been somewhat broken on account of the Parental Incest.
- Despair Event Horizon: Already crossed by much of the town, particularly the bus driver. One of the few people who hasn't given in to despair is a father who lost his wife some years back and is able to deal with the grief.
- It's also pretty clear that Mitchell is approaching it with regards to his daughter, who is a rapidly deteriorating drug addict.
- Drives Like Crazy: Subverted. The crash is in no way the fault of the bus driver, Dolores, despite what Nicole claims during the deposition. Of course, this is little comfort to her.
- Every Bus Is A Pinto: Subverted. The bus skid on ice and goes off the road but, instead of exploding, it breaks through ice and sinks into a lake. The shot is simple and incredibly disturbing because we're used to this trope.
- Hidden Depths: Mitchell, especially once he relates the story of his daughter's near death experience. While his motives certainly aren't 100% pure, he does genuinely believe that he's helping the parents deal with their grief.
- Outright Lie: Nicole during the deposition, in order to undermine the case. A number of people know that she is lying, but the only one who know why can't say. See below.
- Parental Incest: A major subplot involves Nicole's incestuous relationship with her father. When he breaks it off after she is crippled in the crash, she sabotages Mitchell's case (of which her father is a major proponent) in retribution.
- Small Town Boredom: Nicole, who dreams of a career as a country musician, has shades of this in the scenes set before the accident. Then It Got Worse.
- Snow Means Death: Very much so. Heck, the snow (or ice rather) causes death. Also used to contrast with the scenes before the accident, in which the snow symbolizes serenity.
- The Dog Bites Back: Nicole's lie during the deposition, in order to get back at her sexually abusive father, has elements of this. Of course, it's complicated by the fact that, on the surface at least, she's mad at him for stopping the sexual abuse.
- Town with a Dark Secret: Played with. While the accident is hardly a secret, its aftermath brings some to light (to the audience, not necessarily the other townspeople), including an affair and a case of Parental Incest.
