Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
The lives of two lovelorn spouses from separate marriages, a registered sex offender, and a disgraced ex-police officer intersect as they struggle to resist their vulnerabilities and temptations.
Little Children is a sharply observed suburban drama that excels in its layered, literary plotting and outstanding performances — Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson are both excellent, with Jackie Earle Haley earning an Oscar nomination for his unsettling work as the sex offender. Todd Field adapts Tom Perrotta's novel faithfully, weaving together parallel storylines of repression, desire, and societal judgment with real intelligence. The film's novelistic narration (an unusual choice) gives it a literary texture but also keeps it at a slight remove emotionally. Cinematography is competent and occasionally striking but not especially distinctive. The ending is morally serious and earns its ambiguity, though it can feel abrupt. Novelty is moderate — it covers well-trodden suburban-malaise territory (American Beauty comparisons are inevitable) but handles it with more nuance and literary depth than most.