Rating: 
Summary: Simply Misunderstood
Review: Watching this film is like watching a surrealist painting. It is beautifully shot and powerfully drawn. It is misunderstood by so many though the performances in it are some of the best of recent years. Finally, Ian Holm,whom I have long considered one of the best actors in film, as a chance to show the world what a powerful actor he is. This is his best work. Sarah Polley too shines and shows why she will have a great future ahead of her out of childhood acting.
Rating:
Summary: Still Haunts Me
Review: Without trying to be haughty, I feel truly sorry for reviewers who disliked this film. You really missed the boat. This film is so subtly and poignantly beautiful, so well crafted, so perfectly scored and acted, that my wife and I literally puffed out a long, deep "Wow" upon the film's conclusion. The character portrayals, the metaphors, the messages relayed concerning human nature and our society, also make this film an excellent subject for intellectual discussion. We rented this film 10 months ago, and still reflect on it regularly. If you enjoy films that make you think, that require you to participate with your mind to garner the film's intent and purpose, and that can state all that needs to be said through a well-filmed, perfectly conveyed facial expression, you will love this movie.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best DVDs You Can Buy
Review: What a great DVD. The movie, of course, is superb: one of the most beautiful, haunting films ever made. But what makes this title such a stand-out is all the care that went into producing the DVD. The soundtrack is recorded in 5 channels, and is remarkably more effective than that of many action films. In addition, the title is loaded with such goodies as an audio commentary by the director and author, interviews with the cast, and a panel discussion of the film. Normally one would have to buy from Criterion in order to get such a lovingly-made title. Thankfully, we can save our money this time.
Rating: 
Summary: fascinating cinema, and, what a soundtrack!
Review: Canada's Egoyan is always been high on my list of beloved director-artists. This film was visually and psychologically stunning. I absolutely love the soundtrack (as in most of his movies). I thought Egoyan truly captured the emotional complexities of a few people. After reading some of the negative comments, I had to jump to the rescue. Regardless of this particular film, Egoyan is a great artist (damned!).
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Masterpiece
Review: This movie is a masterpiece, see it. There is also something to mention about the movie, its music. Persian Flute performed by Hossein Omoumi was just fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - a rating I give few films.
Review: This DVD is excellent. Full of interesting extra features around an excellently crafted movie. It seems viewers either love or hate this film; there is no middle ground and no prisoners taken. Perhaps those who hated it are more interested in narrative than character development. I enjoy either approach. This film's images and emotion haunt long after the viewing.
Rating: 
Summary: Please wake me when the film is over
Review: At the end of The Sweet Hereafter, I had tears in my eyes- tears of boredom. I would like to use this forum to point out the parts of the film that annoyed me. First of all, the incest scene is ridiculous. The young girl is not raped by her father, rather, they make love together. Candles? Why? It was like a scene out of a cheap romance novel. That scene actually made incest look sweet. The father looked like he was his daughter's age! Second, did anyone else notice that the bus driver had a Minnesotan accent while she drove the bus, but not any other time in the movie? Did the director forget about that? The book is a lot better than the movie, and the book isn't that great. The lawyer in the book is much more energetic, the incest is what it should be, dirty and immoral, and the scenes were drawn out way too much in the movie. Of course, what do I know?
Rating: 
Summary: Truly awful--would like two hours of my life back
Review: God! What an awful movie!This movie had absolutely no point. After seeing it I couldn't figure out for the life of me WHY anyone had made it, and who would like it. Lots of very drawn out scenes with long periods of silence between dialog, and nothing made sense--the daughter making out with her dad? The lawyer trying to get rich off of the townspeople? No redeeming qualities WHATSOEVER! The worst movie I've ever seen, second only to _What Dreams May Come_ (and no, I am not an insensitive lout who doesn't like thoughtful movies. This one just had no point, made no sense, and bored me to tears!) I'd give this one zero stars if such a thing were within my power. I didn't just feel apathetic about it--I hated it. Worthless.
Rating:
Summary: It was about a bus.
Review: It was about a bus
Rating:
Summary: The Sweet Hereafter: Ponderous, beautiful
Review: A soft, ponderous character study of a town's inhabitants after a devestating bus accident. Unjustly slighted at the academy awards. Egoyan shows a deft understanding of human pain and the way we triumph over tragedy, offering a take on Banks' book that is both unique and faithful at the same time, it's divergences from Banks' story being faithful after a fashion.. Sarah ("Nicole") Polley's voiceover at the end still gives me chills. The DVD itself is wonderfully done, the extras bringing a whole new level of understanding to the film. You should buy everything on DVD (if you have a DVD Player), but the Sweet Hereafter deserves it most of all.
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