Little Children Review

First off, let me get this out of the way: Little Children is not a movie for kids. Quite the opposite; this film revolves around themes touching on human sexuality in many forms: sexual frustration, anonymous Internet sex, adultry, and pedophilia. There are also some pretty sexually explicit scenes, and at least one very graphic scene of implied violence. So, no, not for kids.

The Plot

Sarah is a wife, mother and home-maker living a frustrated life in the suburbs of Boston. She loves her child, but is bored and somewhat disgusted with her husband, and yearns for more than is offered ot her by spending time with the other home-makers in her small community. Enter Brad, an impossibly handsome stay-at-home dad who, himself, is frustrated by the pressure to take the bar exam, the fact that his beautiful and successful wife controls the purse strings, and the undeniable truth that time is passing and he's not getting any younger. With long, summer days on their hands, the two become friends and, eventually, lovers, embarking on an affair that has the potential to ruin both families. Meanwhile, the suburb Sarah and Brad live in is in an uproar over the relase from prison of a known pedophile - a situation which brings out the ugliest in seemingly good people. The different stories - Sarah's marriage, Brad's marriage, Brad and Sarah's affair, the town's issues with the sex offender, the sex offender's family life and struggle to resist his compulsions - all come to a head, wtih a turn of events that touches on everyone in the community, and changes lives, forever.

As usual, Kate Winslet puts in a fantastic performance (as Sarah), and the lesser known Patrick Wilson is just as good (as Brad.) In fact, this film is full of fine performances, from a really strong cast. Honorable mentions should go to Jack Earl Haley, as the pedophile, and Phyllis Somerville, as his long-suffering, but fierely devoted mother. This film challenges us to look at a man we'd normally think of as a monster - a man who can only find sexual gratification by sexualizing children - and see him, instead, as a deeply flawed human being....as someone's son....as a man capable of monstrous acts, but also capable of having the most human feelings. It also challenges us to look at the lives the main characters have chosen, and to think about the things that truly matter in life. Sometimes, the film seems to say, it takes a great jolt in order for human beings to appreciate what they have and remember what it is they truly care about.

Give yourself time to really watch this movie, and watch it with an open mind. It's not always pretty, and it's not the type of movie where beautiful people go off into the sunset and live happily ever after but, then, when does that happen in real life, anyhow? You may not like the main characters very much, but that'snot the point. You'll undoubtedly find someone in this movie whose circumstances you can, on some level, relate to.