with The Sweet Hereafter, Egoyan has created one piece of a potent and strong drama. the story, focusing on the effect of a tragic accident in a small community, is just enough to keep me interested.The performances, especially Ian Holm in his the pre-Bilbo Baggins state, the youngSarah Polley, and most notably and surprisingly, Bruce Greenwood ( what a unique turn he takes here, i didn’t even recognize him until 40 minutes into the film ) all did what was needed to deliver the emotional punch. So overall, The Sweet Hereafter is a finely directed drama, that didn’t try to me melodramatic, but succeed in doing so, thanks to a remarkables performances, and an engaging script !