1997 was a year in which many prestigious independent film makers had a fascination with really dull characters. Ang Lee had Ice Storm, Victor Nunez had Ulee's Gold, and now Academy Award nominee Atom Egoyan brings Russell Banks' novel to the big screen.

All three of the films have been praised by critics, but , forgive me, for not understanding why. The Sweet Hereafter is not as dull as Ulee's Gold, but not quite as interesting as The Ice Storm. It's somewhere in between.

The Sweet Hereafter tells the story of a School bus crash and the effect it has on a community. Ian Holm is quite good in the lead as a lawyer, with a troubled life of his own, who tries to represent the townspeople in a lawsuit. As expected, the community's problems run much deeper than the crash itself.

The structure of the plot is interesting, and some of the subplots work, but I didn't find myself caring for any of these characters. Maybe that's the point, but it didn't work for me. Holm has been praised for his work in this film, but was virtually ignored for his brilliant performance in Night Falls On Manhattan. Ultimately, the Sweet Hereafter doesn't end up supplying the emotional punch it aspires to give.