I've seen this film twice now, and had the same reaction both
times, so I feel a little more secure in decrying this a vile
piece of garbage. The central idea (a school bus crash) has
such monumental emotional repercussions that it's easy to be
washed away in grief enough to not notice the emptiness of the
conceit built around it. As an intruding lawyer, Ian Holm is
asked to give a performance of staggeringly self-conscious
falseness in which his every word, movement and breath is meant
to project "SOMETHING IMPORTANT". His episodic encounters with
the people of the community in which the accident took place
only reveals Egoyan's total condescension toward life's "little
people", presenting them as simpletons who, gosh darn it, love
their children and each other and turn their noses up at
anything so disgusting as a dollar bill. In a failed attempt to
make the lawyer at least two-dimensional, a subplot is slopped
on about his losing touch with his own child, the most
ridiculous drug-addicted banshee every put on film. Toss in
heavy-handed allegories, heart-tugging music and trite
conclusions, and what have you got? An award-winning "masterpiece", to hear most people talk. More than likely they
woke up the next morning, remembered something about angelic
children heading for their final bus ride, and forgot the rest.
There's no other explanation. Rent the first episode of
Kieslowski's 1988 "Decalogue", which covers similar thematic
ground and, in 50 short minutes, accomplishes worlds more. 3
out of 10 for the nice work by actors Bruce Greenwood and Sarah
Polley.
times, so I feel a little more secure in decrying this a vile
piece of garbage. The central idea (a school bus crash) has
such monumental emotional repercussions that it's easy to be
washed away in grief enough to not notice the emptiness of the
conceit built around it. As an intruding lawyer, Ian Holm is
asked to give a performance of staggeringly self-conscious
falseness in which his every word, movement and breath is meant
to project "SOMETHING IMPORTANT". His episodic encounters with
the people of the community in which the accident took place
only reveals Egoyan's total condescension toward life's "little
people", presenting them as simpletons who, gosh darn it, love
their children and each other and turn their noses up at
anything so disgusting as a dollar bill. In a failed attempt to
make the lawyer at least two-dimensional, a subplot is slopped
on about his losing touch with his own child, the most
ridiculous drug-addicted banshee every put on film. Toss in
heavy-handed allegories, heart-tugging music and trite
conclusions, and what have you got? An award-winning "masterpiece", to hear most people talk. More than likely they
woke up the next morning, remembered something about angelic
children heading for their final bus ride, and forgot the rest.
There's no other explanation. Rent the first episode of
Kieslowski's 1988 "Decalogue", which covers similar thematic
ground and, in 50 short minutes, accomplishes worlds more. 3
out of 10 for the nice work by actors Bruce Greenwood and Sarah
Polley.
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