Atom Egoyan’s inspired adaptation of Russell Banks’ 1991 novel details the aftermath of a horrifying schoolbus crash that has devastated a small community in British Columbia. The film’s protagonist is Mitchell Stevens (Ian Holm), a cynical lawyer from the city who has arrived to cash in on the tragedy. He comes into conflict with the community’s despair and anger, and finds an unexpectedly formidable opponent in Nicole (Sarah Polley), the paralysed teenage survivor who seems to embody the town’s conscience.

Taking a typically non-linear approach to his adaptation, Egoyan used Banks’ narrative to continue the exploration of shifting perspectives and buried secrets that had defined his prior work. The Sweet Hereafter is a powerfully empathetic study of loss that reveals its layers gradually, and casts a captivating spell through Susan Shipton’s fluid editing and Mychael Danna’s haunting score. Cast in his first leading role at the age of 65, Ian Holm delivers a performance of extraordinary nuance and depth, as Mitchell’s encounters with the survivors and their families force him to confront his own grief.

Winner of three awards at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, and nominated for two Academy Awards at the following year’s Oscars, The Sweet Hereafter was a breakthrough for director Atom Egoyan and it still stands as his masterpiece. We are delighted to be marking the film’s 25th anniversary with a rare 35mm presentation.

Tickets are available via the ICA website here: https://www.ica.art/films/the-sweet-hereafter-35mm