The Sweet Hereafter is what I'd describe as a reverse
version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin by rightfully showing
the families of the British Columbian town as the
innocent victims they are. Holm's character is probably
what I'd describe as an anti-hero, since yes, he was
exploiting the townsfolk unneccassarily, and he gives a
good performance, as does Polley, who I remember seeing
when she was a kid in such TV programs as Ramona and Road
to Avonlea, as the survivor who sees through the Pied Piper
for what he really is, and tries to stop him from
exploiting her neighbors. What's also good about this movie
is that it doesn't glorify any of the really dirty subjects
it involves, and so it comes off as a pretty good
moral drama.

Whoops, let me correct something, I had typed the first
paragraph just shortly after a nap and I was so exausted
I had gotten confused about something. The townsfolk of Sam
Dent, the name of the community, are not all innocent, some
of them had committed some very dirty sins, and what
Egoyan's explaining is that the deaths of their children in
the bus crash could have been as punishment for the sins
they committed in the dark. But, as mentioned before,
what's good about the movie is that it doesn't glorify any
of the really dirty subjects, and shows them as being as
filthy as they most definately are. Well done.