Little Children: Tales of people who are forever young

Little Children is a film which is entirely about children. It seems a bit tricky to land up at that conclusion, especially considering that there is no child who is a protagonists or even a supporting character in the plotline; but in some way or the other, children are the focus of this 2006 film which was directed by Todd Field. So, it seems appropriate that the film, and novel it was scripted from, would be named Little Children.

Sarah Pierce is the mother of a 3 year old who is uncomfortable in her own skin. Her daughter is a jovial little girl who gets along fine with other children and adults but Sarah somehow seems to lack the natural maternal instincts which would endear her daughter to her and make her in-sync with her every need. On the other hand, Brad is a stay-at-home dad who is an aspiring lawyer but is unable to clear the bar exam. He takes his little son to the park where the other mothers ogle him but are too shy to talk to him. Sarah is dared to get Brad’s number on one such visit and she complies by getting Brad to hug her before they decide to completely freak the other mothers out and lock lips. The split second of contact is enough to send both their lives whirling as they are unable to think of anything other than each other for the next few weeks and eventually end up having an affair. On the other side of town, Ronnie McGorvey has recently returned from a 2 year term in prison for indecent exposure to a minor and is being harassed by former police officer, Larry Hedges, who is adamant on making Ronnie’s life a living hell.

The script for the film is adapted from a novel of the same name. The script was written by director Todd Field and author of the novel, Tom Perrotta. The use of narration in the film makes up for the lack of being able to see into the mind of the characters. The narration by Will Lyman features a deep voice to give a background on the character’s thoughts while also adding to the tone of the film, which in some parts is almost comical, owing especially to the narration. The narration also makes the film more endearing to the audience since the film otherwise has a very distant effect. Other techniques used in the film include a split screen during a telephone conversation to show the actions and reactions of people on both sides of the line simultaneously and an opening montage of shots taken of clay figurines of children, a way of establishing in the beginning of the film that the crux of the film revolves around little children.

The film has its ebbs and surges with a slow moving script which takes time to establish the characters and then speeds up as the action takes place to end with a seemingly rushed conclusion which leaves many questions about the final resolve of the characters and how each of them arrive at their individual conclusions which seem obtuse from their character sketches. Mainly, the film is about children who are the heroes of the story. While children by themselves are key to the plot, since they bring two main characters together and, in another instance, are cause for a rift between two people, the idea of a child being in each one of us is a subtle influence in the plot. The idea of a mother who is unable to figure out her own child because she hasn’t grown up enough to be a mother or a man wasting his time watching teenagers skate instead of studying for his exam and establishing his career, or a man being intent on bullying another man as a sense of retribution for his own crimes in the past, all are signs of growing old but not growing up.

Not a great film but an amiable film. It has its moments and its elements which make it stand out from the clutter of ordinary drama films.

The Reader: One summer’s love that wrecks a boy’s life

The most significant events to have taken place over the past century have been the two World Wars; in particular, the Second World War which saw the deaths of millions of people and had the world introduced to a very serious threat of nuclear weaponry. What was most astonishing about the Second World War was the number of casualties, both military and civilian, a key cause of which was The Holocaust. It is because of this reason of being so dramatically impactful to human life all over the world that films made on the topics of the Second World War and The Holocuast can be immense.

Michael Berg is a divorced father and a lawyer. He shares a dicey relationship with his daughter who thinks he has always been aloof emotionally. The reason for this, as Michael recalls, is because of a heartbreaking experience he endured as a teenager. When Michael was 15 years of age, he met a woman called Hannah Schmitz. Michael was suffering from an illness and Hannah helped him home one day which was enough to form a bond for Michael to return to thank her. Awkwardly, Michael and Hannah being to have an affair with him returning to her house every chance he gets. Hannah, who is illiterate, enjoys listening to people reading aloud and has Michael read to her every time they make love. As Michael’s infatuation begins to increase to a point that he falls in love with Hannah, they begin to have fights which causes Hannah to promptly leave without informing Michael which leaves him heartbroken and emotionally scarred for the rest of his life. Years later, Michael is a law student on a field trip to a criminal proceeding in a court where he sees Hannah and discovers a hidden truth about her which he was unaware of in all their time together.

The film demands more from the audience in terms of patience and attention than what it delivers in terms of entertainment. It is a slow moving non-linear film which takes its time between the protagonist in the present and his flashbacks to his younger days. As a young man, Michael is played by David Kross, who performed the role admirably, and the present day character is played by renowned actor Ralph Fiennes who deserved much more screen time in this production than he was granted. Kate Winslet also put in a strong performance as the female lead in the film.

The most astonishing problem with The Reader is the fact that serious problems such as child sexual abuse and murder are brushed aside while the issue of illiteracy takes precedence. Not to say that illiteracy isn’t a problem that has to be dealt with, but the casual manner in which genocide and child sexual abuse are merely swept under the mat seems to be a hindrance with this film. In fact, the irony of the matter is that the film does point out how serious the matter is as one of the characters dramatically exclaims that people should have killed themselves knowing that genocide was being conducted in their country without being able to stop it, but the film does not really take a standpoint over the matter.

With a few good performances and a good story, the film is a good watch. But it should have achieved more with the non-linear style and if it had dealt with the bigger problems more appropriately rather than ignore them as the elephant in the room.