As a story about a community shattered by the disappearance of its children, Zach Cregger’s WEAPONS lured us, Pied Piper-like, toward Atom Egoyan’s 1997 film THE SWEET HEREAFTER, which doesn’t have quite as many jump scares as Cregger’s film, but makes up for it in enveloping sadness as it explores the far-reaching effects of a school bus crash on a small Canadian town. So this week we’re revisiting Egoyan’s film with the help of Vulture movie critic Alison Willmore, to discuss how telling this story out of order shapes both the narrative and the characterization, where certain performances help fill in blanks left by the dialogue, and what we’re meant to take from the film’s ending. Then, in lieu of Feedback, we’re acknowledging a tough loss for the Chicago film criticism community by celebrating some of the critics and editors who helped shape it, and us.

Please share your thoughts about THE SWEET HEREAFTER, WEAPONS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Intro: 00:00:00-00:02:44

The Sweet Hereafter Keynote: 00:02:44-00:08:09

The Sweet Hereafter Discussion: 00:08:09-00:59:15

Feedback/outro: 00:59:15-end

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