The Sweet Hereafter
Directed by Atom Egoyan
Starring Ian Holm and Sarah Polley
1997
This Canadian Cannes winner is a story about loss in a small, but diverse, tight knit community. The movie compares how this community chooses to do 'business' compared to the bigger world. It is quite sad, but reaches ably for the resolve of the survivors to live a good life. In this case the loss is a tragic bus crash that kills or maims virtually every child in the village.
Polley, the eldest of the survivors, is our moral voice for the community. (Hopefully someone we will see again) Ian Holm, an ambulance chaser from the big city signifies the outside world. The setting in the Canadian Okanogan brings this story closer to home. FWIW, though sad, I'd definitely recommend this movie for kids.
This YouTube clip is a bit of a spoiler, but not a huge one. If you are thinking of sharing this with your kids, this will give you a definite feel for the course of the movie.
