The Sweet Hereafter Page #4

Synopsis: A small mountain community in Canada is devastated when a school bus accident leaves more than a dozen of its children dead. A big-city lawyer (Ian Holm) arrives to help the survivors' and victims' families prepare a class-action suit, but his efforts only seem to push the townspeople further apart. At the same time, one teenage survivor of the accident (Sarah Polley) has to reckon with the loss of innocence brought about by a different kind of damage.
Genre: Drama
Production: Fine Line Features
  Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 52 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.6
Metacritic:
90
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
R
Year:
1997
112 min
438 Views


WENDELL:

Taking it out on her.

MITCHELL stops taking notes, and looks at the WALKERS.

MITCHELL:

He beat her?

RISA nods. MITCHELL crosses the LAMBSTONS off of his list.

He looks up at RISA and WENDELL.

MITCHELL (CONT'D)

You see, to do this right, to

actually have a chance at winning -

of getting some money to compensate

you for the loss of your boy - we

need folks like you. Sensitive,

loving parents. People with no

criminal background or history of

trouble in town. Do you understand?

The WALKERS nod.

MITCHELL (CONT'D)

Now, of all these parents you've

told me about whose kids were

killed, who would you consider to be

good upstanding neighbors?

RISA stares hard at MITCHELL.

RISA:

What do you mean?

MITCHELL:

People who will help our cause.

Pause.

RISA:

Well, there's the Hamiltons. Joe

and Shelly Hamilton.

WENDELL:

(caustically)

Yeah, right.

Beat. MITCHELL looks at WENDELL, waiting for an

explanation.

WENDELL (CONT'D)

I mean, everyone knows Joey steals

antiques from summer cottages.

Resells them to dealers in the city.

He's been doing that for years.

MITCHELL regards WENDELL with a slight smile of admiration.

MITCHELL:

That's great, Wendell. That's the

sort of thing I need to know. So it

doesn't come back to haunt our case

later on.

RISA:

There's the Prescots...

WENDELL:

That sonofabitch owes thousands to

the bank and half the businesses in

town. He's about to lose his house

and car.

RISA:

But Charlene...

WENDELL:

Charlene's over at the Spread Eagle

every other night. Sleeps with

whatever she can get her hands on.

She'll go down for a pat on the head

and a fistful of peanuts.

MITCHELL is taking notes.

WENDELL (CONT'D)

Don't even think of the Bilodeaus or

the Atwaters. They're all inbred.

RISA:

The Ottos.

Pause. MITCHELL waits. No response from WENDELL.

MITCHELL:

Tell me about the Ottos.

RISA:

Wanda and Hartley. They lost Bear.

He was their adopted son. A

beautiful boy. Indian.

MITCHELL:

Indian?

RISA:

Yes.

MITCHELL:

That's good. Judges like adopted

Indian boys. Tell me more about the

Ottos.

As RISA talks, MITCHELL takes notes.

RISA:

They're smart. Been to college.

They moved here from the city about

a dozen years ago.

MITCHELL:

What do they do?

RISA:

Crafts.

MITCHELL:

Crafts?

RISA:

Wanda does these photographic

things. That's one of her pictures

on the wall.

WENDELL:

Yeah, well, they probably smoke

weed.

RISA:

You don't know that.

MITCHELL:

Have they ever been busted?

RISA:

No.

WENDELL:

You don't know is what you mean.

MITCHELL regards the tension between RISA and WENDELL as he

continues to make notes.

MITCHELL'S cell phone rings. He answers it.

MITCHELL:

Yes, I'll accept the charges.

MITCHELL stands up.

Rate this script:1.5 / 2 votes

Atom Egoyan

Atom Egoyan, CC is a Canadian director, writer, producer and former actor. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica, a film set primarily in and around the fictional Exotica strip club. more…

All Atom Egoyan scripts | Atom Egoyan Scripts

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