Affliction
[3.5/4.0]
Wade Whitehouse is afflicted, but it is not a physical disease that ails him, but rather it is the psychological and emotion scars of his childhood. His detachment, distrust, and distorted perception are the result of constant berating and beating in his formative years. As the oldest of the siblings, he took it upon himself to intervene, and as a result, he was the one who bore most of the wrath of his father. His younger brother Rolfe learned early on (by avoiding the mistakes of Wade) how to avoid the abuse, and has become a seemingly well-adjusted adult. Wade, however, was not so lucky. He does not have a serious problem, but he is not able to maintain a stable relationship. He want to wrest more visitation rights from his ex-wife, but he is oblivious to the fact that his young daughter does not enjoy the time she spends with him. A combination of events interact to push Wade over the edge.
This film is similar in mood to "The Sweet Hereafter", another film based on a novel by Russell Banks. Similar to that story, this one is filled with symbolism -- from the bleak New Hampshire winter, to Wade's progressing toothache. It provides an uncommon depth to the story. Nick Nolte gives a fantastic performance as Wade by giving a subdued presentation of the character, thus not relegating him to a simple psychotic. The viewer sees all the events presented to Wade and can see how Wade's perspective is causing him to potentially read too much into situations. Wade's childhood abuse is made menacing by the fact that very little violence is shown, but rather we only see its effects.
A common occurrence in child abuse cases is that sometimes a beating is so severe (eg. broken bones) that medical attention is required. In order to keep the abuse concealed from others, a lie is constructed. The ruse given is that the injuries were caused by an accident, usually some type of fall. The story suggests that one of the subtle scars that abuse victims carry is a suspicion that events described as "accidents" may be actually be a cover for more sinister events. This is often manifested at a subconscious level, so even those who feel they have not been afflicted might miss this in themselves.
Highly Recommended. This file features excellent writing, directing, and acting. It will be enjoyed by viewers who like brooding, reflective character studies.
(c) 1999 Murali Krishnan The Art House Squatter http://pages.hotbot.com/movies/murali24/
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