Film Muser Rating : 4 / 5
Release Date : November 3, 2006
Running Time : 137 minutes

Little Children is narrated as though it is a children’s story. Set in a suburban community, the film focuses on two main stories. The first follows the seemingly mundane lives of two characters who feel as though they are trapped in a routine, and have settled in lives that were not meant for them. Kate Winslet plays Sarah Pierce, a stay-at-home mom who sacrificed her career to raise her daughter. She ends up in an adulterous affair with Brad Adamson, played by Patrick Wilson, who in turn is a stay-at-home dad mainly due to his failed career in law. Both are in halted marriages and are looking for something more fulfilling. The second story deals with a recently released sexual predator Ronnie J. McGorvey (played by Jackie Earle Haley) who lives at home with his mother. The two of them are harassed by an obsessed ex-cop that is part of a community patrol group to keep the area safe.

Little Children

I really liked how the two stories are played out alongside each other. As a viewer, we see Ronnie as an obvious villain, but we are also shown a side where he seems nothing more than a child through his interactions with his mother (he even calls her ‘mommy’). It’s interesting to see Ronnie admit that he has a problem, and wishes he could rid himself of it. We see him take his mother’s advice on certain things to try and straighten himself out. We get the sense that he is sincerely trying to act responsibly, however we are constantly reminded through intertwined scenes the type of deviant behaviour he is actually capable of.

The story that follows the adulterous affair of Sarah and Brad is presented in much the same way as Ronnie’s. We are shown the hopeless marriages that they are in and, we have a feeling of sympathy for them. We see their lives get rejuvenated and they both start to feel the way they once used to, so long ago. Again the filmmaker is continually reminding the audience of what Sarah and Brad are actually engaging in. We are given glimpses at their ‘real’ lives and are we can see that what they are doing is also deviant.

Throughout the movie there are references to trains and train wrecks, hinting that if everything continues down the current path, certain doom may await. It is interesting because the characters know that what they are engaging in is futile, and can only lead to disaster, but they continue with their actions, living for instant gratification As the movie nears a resolution, a series of events go into motion which lead the characters to open their eyes and realize what needs to be done.

This movie is a definite must-see. The acting is awesome and the story has elements that everyone should be able to relate to. Most people have felt, at least one time or another, as though they were in a lull, or that their lives had become stagnant. What is interesting to think about is what you would do to turn that situation around. How far would you go to make yourself feel exuberant again? Children tend to look for that instant gratification. Perhaps adults aren’t that much different as director Todd Field may be suggesting in Little Children.

Memorable Scene
Sarah and Brad spend much of their time early in their relationship at a local swimming pool. This particular summer is incredibly hot making the pool get packed with children, including their own. The community is aware that Ronnie is now living in the area due to a campaign of warning posters, etc. There is one scene where Ronnie arrives at the pool with flippers and snorkel and makes his way unnoticed into the crowded swimming pool. He makes his way to the center of the pool and plunges underwater to watch the swimming children. It’s not long before people notice him and run to the pool, screaming for their children to get out. It doesn’t take long for the pool to empty, leaving just Ronnie as the lone swimmer surrounded by a terrified group looking on as though they had seen a monster.