The Sweet Hereafter

This was one of 1997’s best films. A small town is beset by tragedy as a school bus, full of children, crashes down a steep embankment and through the ice of a frozen river. The bus accident sets off the events of this film. A lawyer (played extremely well by Ian Holm) comes to town in search of a class action lawsuit. A girl who was sick the day of the crash copes with her survivors’ guilt. An incestuous relationship is revealed and dealt with. The film weaves these stories, and more, into a cohesive dream-catcher that holds the lives changed by the crash. This film really deserved to win an Oscar last year (either screenplay, director, or actor) and was unjustly overlooked.