Another movie post. I recommend both of these—they are not “uppers” but I found their take on their respective hot topics to be very thought-provoking.
“Little Children” refers really to the adults in the movie. Kate Winslet, a suburban mom in a dysfunctional marriage, is the mother of a child and not sure she’s cut out to be a loving parent. She feels confined and disconnected in her suburban neighborhood. Enter the “Prom King”. Patrick Wilson can’t pass the bar and is at home with his son while his very attractive (and I think supportive) wife produces documentaries. He is handsome, friendly, and seems to be stuck in the glory of adolescence. He joins a touch football league and comes alive with the attention of his teammates after a good play. Instead of studying for the bar, he watches teenagers at the skate park. Of course one thing leads to another and the two start an affair. Because they are lonely? Because they are angry? Because they’re in love? Or just bored? They are the children—looking for attention and satisfaction in a selfish and ultimately shallow way.
The other movie “Notes on a Scandal” is also from a book that’s now on my Amazon wish list. The setting is a British school in a lower-income part of town. There is a pretty free-spirit art teacher, married to an older man with an angry teenage daughter and a son with Down’s Syndrome. There’s an older woman, an experienced teacher, the kind that might be described as a “battle-ax”. One of them has an affair with a 16 year old student. One of them is a predator. One of them is a victim. One of them will stop at nothing to get what she wants and protect herself. One is punished. One is free to strike again.
Obviously a hot topic, I really liked this movie. Without downplaying the serious and damaging effects of teacher abuse, this movie looks at the idea of a “predator” from a different angle. Who’s really poses the greater danger?
“Little Children” refers really to the adults in the movie. Kate Winslet, a suburban mom in a dysfunctional marriage, is the mother of a child and not sure she’s cut out to be a loving parent. She feels confined and disconnected in her suburban neighborhood. Enter the “Prom King”. Patrick Wilson can’t pass the bar and is at home with his son while his very attractive (and I think supportive) wife produces documentaries. He is handsome, friendly, and seems to be stuck in the glory of adolescence. He joins a touch football league and comes alive with the attention of his teammates after a good play. Instead of studying for the bar, he watches teenagers at the skate park. Of course one thing leads to another and the two start an affair. Because they are lonely? Because they are angry? Because they’re in love? Or just bored? They are the children—looking for attention and satisfaction in a selfish and ultimately shallow way.
The overlaying drama is the child molester that has been released from prison and has moved to the town to live with his mother. A man who still calls his mother “mommy”, a mother who thinks her son would be a “good boy” if he could get a date with someone his own age. The hostile and fearful reaction of the community is an undercurrent of the whole movie.
The movie has a voice-over narrative that sounds like a documentary—dispassionate and disconnected. It’s very effective. I kept waiting to see how the paths of the two main characters and the child molester would cross. The ending is very interesting. I have the book on my wish list at Amazon—I’m interested in seeing how the characters were portrayed in the book vs. the film.
The movie has a voice-over narrative that sounds like a documentary—dispassionate and disconnected. It’s very effective. I kept waiting to see how the paths of the two main characters and the child molester would cross. The ending is very interesting. I have the book on my wish list at Amazon—I’m interested in seeing how the characters were portrayed in the book vs. the film.
The other movie “Notes on a Scandal” is also from a book that’s now on my Amazon wish list. The setting is a British school in a lower-income part of town. There is a pretty free-spirit art teacher, married to an older man with an angry teenage daughter and a son with Down’s Syndrome. There’s an older woman, an experienced teacher, the kind that might be described as a “battle-ax”. One of them has an affair with a 16 year old student. One of them is a predator. One of them is a victim. One of them will stop at nothing to get what she wants and protect herself. One is punished. One is free to strike again. Obviously a hot topic, I really liked this movie. Without downplaying the serious and damaging effects of teacher abuse, this movie looks at the idea of a “predator” from a different angle. Who’s really poses the greater danger?
1 comment:
Haven't seen Little Children, but LOVED Notes. Judi Dench is absolutely AMAZING.
AMAZING, I say.
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