Little Children

by Ari

Little Children is a skillfully made drama about suburban life in the same vein as American Beauty, and like that film, it struggles to reach the exact thematic potency it’s striving for. Director Todd Field (In the Bedroom) tries especially hard to meld the dramatic, satirical, and tragic aspects of a story he and Tom Perrotta adapted from Perrotta’s novel, but Little Children feels either too obvious or too flat for its own good. Field’s stylistic indulgences are a large part of the problem. His visual sensibilities are sophisticated when he’s not calling attention to himself, along with his pacing and writing. Too often does he mar the story with images that are blatantly directed towards “serious” artistic importance, only distancing the viewer from the dramatic impact of the story. People have brought up Stanley Kubrick in reference to his visuals and pacing, and the influence is undeniable. His pacing is deliberate to the point of pretension at certain moments, another distraction from an otherwise strongly built story. Even more distracting is the sardonic voice-over evocative of Ricky Jay’s narration in Magnolia - a stylistic touch that creates the greatest emotional distance from the material. For a movie that means to explore the deep emotional complexities lurking beneath the facade of happy, successful suburban life, indulging in attention-seeking stylistic touches only makes the film seem empty instead of profound. When Field simply lets the story unfold without telling you how to feel, Little Children is surprisingly effective, with solid performances by leads Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson. It takes a good half-hour before he finds his stride, but once the characters are established, the film becomes tense and compelling.

The title of course refers to the adults of the story, and the contradictions and repressed desires and emptiness that accompanies their married lives in a small neighborhood community. The most recent news in their quiet lives is the prison release of a sex-offender who moved back into his mother’s house in the community. The man, Ron McGorvey (Jackie Haley in one of the film’s best performances) sets everyone on edge considering his past, becoming the topic of conversation for many of the dim-witted housewives who spend their day talking about dim-witted topics. Such conversation opens the film. A few women discuss McGorvey at a park while their children play, disgusted and appalled by his return. One of them suggests that he should be castrated, an idea that disturbs the one wife who seems separate from the others. Sarah (Winslet) is somewhat of an outsider to their group. She’s obviously more intelligent and thoughtful than the others, not particularly getting along with them but giving the appearance of politeness. When one of the women suggests that she make a check-list of items to remember before leaving the house, she dryly responds “Yeah..that’s a really good idea. Thanks for the suggestion”. The opportunity for an even more sarcastic reaction was presented, but Sarah maintains a sense of maturity within herself...at least, she does at first.

The other major topic of conversation is “the prom king”, a house-father who spends his time with his son. The women know nothing about him; not where he’s from, not what he does, not even his name. He’s young and handsome, the kind of man women obviously swoon over. When Sarah meets Brad (Patrick Wilson) she asks him to play a little game to scare the other women. Brad obliges (much to the women’s surprise) and then follows it up by kissing her. This, of course, shocks the others watching, but not as much as it does Sarah or even Brad. It’s a sudden moment that causes an emotional rift in their lives, leading into the dangerous territory of infidelity.

Brad’s wife Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) is a documentary filmmaker who spends most of her day at work and most of her time at home with her son. Their child is the most important thing to her, leaving Brad neglected and lonely. He feels pressured to pass the bar exam and do something with his life, and the stress and isolation naturally make him thirst for something more alive. Sarah, meanwhile, is married to a successful man who is more fixated on internet porn than her, so she easily finds Brad attractive and desirable. Once Brad’s initial hesitancy is quashed, they engage in a full-on affair which has a particularly strong effect on their lives. This is easily the strongest material in the film, and it’s because of the riveting performances by Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson. Winslet is one very talented actress who brings the emotional depth and confusion and complexity to the story. She’s a flawed character, and Winslet effectively portrays her emotional arc. Sarah acts on her desires, which is something both frustrating and admirable the way Winslet performs it. Brad likes her because she provides everything his immaculate wife does not. She cares about him, supports him, has problems and issues of her own; the exact opposite of his more professionally oriented, “knockout” wife. Wilson is right for the role and makes the most of it. The build-up to the first sex sequence is some of their best work in the film.

Not so good is a subplot with Brad’s friend Larry (Noah Emmerich). He’s an ex-cop who accidently killed a young boy in a mall, taking out his internal anger on McGorvey’s return to the neighborhood. He’s obsessed with the sex-offender, and his arc is somewhat obvious and flat. A better subplot is between McGorvey and his mother (Phyllis Somerville), who tries desperately to get him into the groove of a normal life. This material is interesting and powerful, and the performances are exceptional. It seems that Field is particularly confident with this aspect of the story. He creates a sequence of genuine tension when McGorvey takes a dip in the public pool to just “cool off”, and the many dramatic moments between he and his mother are filled with some of the film’s strongest feeling. The strength of the two main plots is quite powerful, which makes it a shame that some unnecessary directorial indulgences keep disrupting the drama. The second half is extremely well done, despite the stylistic distractions and a rather limp conclusion.

Little Children is a mixed bag, always on the verge of becoming something greater, but never fully grasping it. Field is proving himself to be a talented filmmaker getting closer and closer to something profound, and maybe everything comes together more smoothly in his next picture.