--- title: "The Sweet Hereafter: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-sweet-hereafter/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-sweet-hereafter" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 6 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Sweet Hereafter (1997): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 6 reviews: 6 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are strongly positive, with praise centred on Egoyan’s restrained handling of grief and the performances that give it emotional force. Most critics find that the fragmented chronology deepens the account of a community living with loss, rather than keeping its pain at a distance. Ian Holm draws particular praise, while Sarah Polley and the wider ensemble also receive attention. The adaptation is repeatedly credited with preserving complexity without resorting to melodrama. The spread is narrow, and differences concern emphasis more than approval. Some critics stress the moral questions surrounding the lawyer’s intervention; others focus on the film’s tenderness and interest in recovery. Time Out offers a specific reservation: its sensitive treatment of grief, guilt and anger may not yield fresh insights into how tragedy changes a community. That qualification sits alongside praise for its performances, editing, photography and atmosphere. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 23 December 1997. The film is a tender, unflinching lament for survivors of grief after a school bus accident kills 14 children in a small town. Ebert praises Egoyan's non-linear structure and Ian Holm's subtle performance as the lawyer who mirrors the parents' loss. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-sweet-hereafter-1997) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The critic calls the film Egoyan's best work yet and one of the best of the year. They single out its detached nonlinear style for movingly and truthfully exploring themes of loss and recovery. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-sweet-hereafter-1798195281) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 1997. Festival review. Egoyan's wrenching adaptation of Russell Banks' novel uses the bus accident as the basis for a moral inquiry into how a town copes with loss and a lawyer's self-serving intervention. Maslin highlights the film's fragmented narrative and haunting images. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/03/movies/film-festival-review-a-town-bereft-limping-into-the-future.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 1997. The film is a delicate, assured exploration of tragedy's impact on families, suffused with stately restraint and silences that amplify its emotional power. Turan praises Egoyan's adaptation of the novel and its focus on healing amid loss. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-nov-21-ca-55995-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Daphne Merkin Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 1997. Egoyan's sober adaptation excels as one of the best book-to-film translations, with Ian Holm's volcanic performance anchoring the story of grief and a lawsuit in a rural community. Merkin singles out the restraint and strong ensemble, especially Sarah Polley. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/11/24/1997-11-24-137-tny-cards-000152705) ## Variety — Brendan Kelly Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 1997. Festival review. Egoyan's most ambitious work is a rich, complex meditation on a small town's response to tragedy, retaining unconventional style while gaining emotional weight. Kelly notes the skillful avoidance of melodrama and strong performances from the ensemble. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/the-sweet-hereafter-1117341459/) ## Empire — William Thomas 1 January 2000. The critic highlights the film's humane, insightful and extremely moving treatment of painful subject matter. It is noted for tactful acting, beautiful snowy widescreen cinematography and subtle scripting and direction. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/sweet-hereafter-review/) ## The Independent 12 September 2013. The critic calls it a masterpiece that plays the tragic tale relatively straight. It is praised as a bold, immensely moving adaptation of Russell Banks's novel. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-bluray-review-the-sweet-hereafter-15-8812688.html) ## Time Out — GA 10 September 2012. This is Egoyan's warmest and most conventional film to date, despite its sophisticated fragmented narrative. It is beautifully performed, edited and shot, sensitive in its treatment of grief, guilt and anger, and strong on atmosphere, though it may not offer fresh insights into how a community is changed by tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-sweet-hereafter) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-sweet-hereafter.md