Director - Todd Field
Writer - Todd Field, Tom Perrotta
Starring - Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, Noah Emmerich
Language – English
Runtime - 130 minutes approx.
Age Rating – 15
Genre - Drama, Romance
A FILM REVIEW BY ROSS MILLER
The trailer for Todd Field’s remarkable drama is one of the best I have seen in years. It gives you what the perfect trailer should; a real sense of what the film is about but at the same time not giving anything away. The trailer is tense and gripping which is reflective of this insightful drama in every way.
Sarah (Kate Winslet) and Brad (Patrick Wilson) are both stay-at-home parents who lead normal and mundane lives. After meeting several times at the local park and swimming pool they instantly connect, becoming friends and eventually lovers. They are both desperate for some sort of escape from what they feel is a meaningless existence. Meanwhile in the same town and time a registered sex-offender who has been let out from prison moves into the area, and as a result the quiet little neighbourhood of parents and children are in panic, constantly looking over their shoulders. And an ex-cop, who has formed a vigilante group, is a bit too over-the-top in his surveillance techniques.
The most admirable factor of this film is its tone and the air it has about it. Field’s direction makes us feel uneasy and at times extremely uncomfortable in what we are witnessing. You could cut the tension with a knife at too many moments to count and Field’s talent is what we have to thank for that. The film is very rich and vibrant in it’s colour scheme, which although is a contrast to the film’s melodramatic tone it allows for pleasant viewing and is strangely easy on the eyes.
From moment one I was completely immersed in this film, helped enormously by the narration. Although this could be perceived as unnecessary, I found it to be completely relevant and very necessary. The narration is told not from the usual first-person perspective, but as if someone is reading a story to you. It also doesn’t describe what is happening, as Field is smart enough to know that we can see that with our own eyes, but tells you what each relevant character is feeling and thinking. I found this to be a very interesting way to handle narration, it certainly is unique anyway. As a result the film feels like an adult version of story time you would get at school, with the voice doing the narration being engrossing to listen to (which was terribly crucial).
I am at a loss as to how this film didn’t win (or be nominated for that matter) for far more awards than it was at this year’s Oscars. Not only did it deserve to be awarded for its technical achievements (editing, screenplay etc.) but also on the acting side of things. You would think that there being small amount of main characters as four that we would definitely favour one over the rest in quality of performance. But I argue that each of the four brings something equally brilliant and complex to the table as the rest. We are interested in Sarah and Brad because they are just ordinary, everyday people who make the same mistakes and want the same things as any of us would. The other two characters of the paedophile and the ex-cop are creepy and mysterious when you think about what might have happened in their past. The lack of ability to relate to these two characters may even make them more interesting than Sarah and Brad, although not standing out more in their performances.
As shown in the trailer by the two trains slowly heading towards each other, this film feels like an accident waiting to happen. Not in the way that you are waiting for it to fail but in the actual story itself. You have the feeling that this affair that the film effectively revolves around is going to stir up some major events and that everything will never be the same again as a result of it. You have this sense of “it’s all building towards something”, maybe not in an “in your face” way but more in a complex and emotional way. Although not much happens in the entire film, we are kept interested because of how interesting and compelling the characters are.
In spite of how much I loved this film I did have a few minor problems with it (note I said minor). Although necessary to the story and characters the sex scenes did seem overplayed. I totally understand the relevance of them but with a film as tense as this these scenes were extremely uncomfortable, at least for me. The second problem I had, yet again relating to specific scenes, was the overabundance of irrelevant (at least to me) sports related moments. There are at least two or three scenes of Brad playing American Football and a couple of skateboarding scenes which I just didn’t see the need for. Having said that these are minor issues as these scenes are pretty short-lived.
This is melodrama (and just drama in general) at it’s near best. This is certainly one of most expertly crafted and ultimately memorable films of 2006. The lack of distribution this film received probably has the most do to with why it didn’t do so well at the Oscars, because the qaulity of it demands much more appreciation. Watch; allow yourself just to slip into and being hooked in the subtlety, the tension and the brilliance of Little Children.
