The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Set in a small northern village, a story which focuses on how one community plunges into tragedy when its school bus crashes into a lake, claiming the lives of more than a dozen of the town's children. Soon after, Mitchell Stephens, a big city lawyer, comes to the devastated village with the intention of mounting a class-action suit on behalf of the vitims. Holding out hope of compensation for their loss and promising that he can assign blame for this incomprehensible event, Stephen interviews the few survivors and the many bereaved families. What follows is a series of emotional encounters that provide a prismatic view of the community, before and after this tragic accident.