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| About Tom * Chick Reid * Gallery * Interviews * Films * TV Theatre * FAQ * About Ground Control * Contact Info * Links |
| The Sweet Hereafter (1997) Director: Atom Egoyan Writer: Atom Egoyan Cast: Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Bruce Greenwood, Alberta Watson Character: Sam Burnell Billing: N/A (alphabetical / order of appearance) Plot: Lawyer Ian Holm travels to a remote Canadian village devastated by the loss of their children in a school bus crash. As he investigates the accident, he finds that none of the children's parents are entirely innocent... and neither is he. Review: A haunting and beautifully shot film, utilising one of the best ensemble casts you'll ever find. An updated examination of the "Pied Piper Of Hamelin" fable, attempting to answer the simple question of "why?", it gives no easy explanations and there are no cunning special effects to divert from the simple horror of the accident, and shattered lives that follow. While Holm plays "numb" very well, his is in some ways the least rewarding role, and is thus overshadowed by the large supporting cast, particularly Sarah Polley. The mutually destructive relationship between Polley and Tom, playing her father, is a cornerstone of the film, but always in the background, forgotten until it comes around again to shock and stun. This is a complex film about characters who seem very real, and Egoyan's script veers firmly away from the sensational. One to watch, and wonder. Trivia: Adapted from the book by Russell Banks, who appears for one line as a doctor. Tom also appears with Sarah Polley in The Claim and was in her directorial debut Don't Think Twice. Marc Donato, who plays Mason, guest stars in the Mutant X episode "Crime Of The New Century" where Tom's character is, of course, called Mason. And David Hemblen of Norman's Awesome Experience and I Love A Man In Uniform turns up. The poem Polley reads in the film is "The Pied Piper Of Hamelin" by Robert Browning. Music by The Tragically Hip, who also provided a song for I Love A Man In Uniform. |