Affliction (1999)

Paul Schrader's Affliction, adapted from the novel by Russell Banks (The Sweet Hereafter), charts the slow descent of small-town sheriff Wade Whitehouse (a raspy, gruffly restrained Nick Nolte) into violence, the legacy of the corrupt love of an abusive, alcoholic father. The story ostensibly centers on a hunting death on the outskirts of town, but as Wade digs into what may or not be a conspiracy, his personal life spirals out of control. James Coburn, who deservedly won an Oscar for his mocking, sneering performance, is Wade's father, who jumps back into the cycle of abuse when Wade moves in to care for the aging man. Chronicling the story in distant, dispassionate tones is Willem Dafoe as Wade's younger brother Rolfe, who "escaped" his father's legacy in a world of books. Schrader has made his reputation revealing the scarred psyches of American men trying to reconcile the contradictions of masculine fantasy and social reality, as in his screenplays for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, and in Affliction he creates his most poignant and powerful work. The quiet beauty of the snow-blanketed New Hampshire setting (using Canadian locations) and Schrader's restrained yet intimate cinematic style builds the underlying emotional tensions until they explode in startling close-ups, revealing the repressed fear, rage, and helplessness cracking through Wade's carefully maintained façade. As Rolfe's narration coolly analyzes his brother's affliction, he reveals his own: an emotional remove so complete that he's edited himself out of his family history. The legacy of abuse leaves no one untouched. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com essential video

A noir with a touch of Bergman!

Paul Shrader is one the few filmmakers who never has bent his convictions about propelling his independent entries, permeated of dark and bleak memories. Like Fassbinder for instance, he is well aware his role in the cinema , what is to become a sleepless lighthouse around our ethical consciousness.

Small constable investigates a supposed shooting, but he is firmly convinced it was a premeditate murder. Meanwhile he is haunted by his childhood because his drunken and abusive father.

This was for Coburn the great acting of his lifetime and that's why he won a more than deserved Academy Award.
September 11, 2008

Ready to Implode

Nick Nolte is excellent as a man who is seriously about to implode. Watching him in this role is like waiting to hear thunder after the lightning strikes. He is constantly on the verge of losing it, while he is also constantly trying to smother his wrath. You get the feeling that there is going to be a four alarm fire erupting at any time and Nick Nolte is about to run out of the water that is dousing his flames inside.

James Coburn plays his father. A nasty man, always drunk, always evil. We begin to see where Nick Nolte's character got his deep rooted angst. Being raised by such a man has left permanent scars inside of Nolte's character. Everyone that comes into contact with Coburn's character is left wounded.

It's a story about a cop in a small town who is trying to connect with his daughter, fight his ex-wife for custody, begin a new life with a new woman, tend to his father who has just lost his wife, investigate a hunting accident involving his best friend and coming to grips with his past, his family and his future.

This is no light hearted movie. There is depth and feeling. This movie might not make you feel happy, but it succeeds in reaching into your emotions and forcing you to feel what the main character is feeling. Not always pretty, but very effective.

This is one of the better movies I have seen. The acting is superb, the story is meaningful, the scenery makes you feel cold. 5 stars for this film for having the ability to bring out emotions in the viewer. Not for kids, heartbreaking, sad and perfect for what it was trying to do. March 24, 2008

One of the best movie's you'll see

I have no idea why there are negative reviews of this movie here. Maybe some people can't handle the dark nature of the movie. This is a piece of art that is fully realized and very powerful. There's not a wasted moment on the screen. Nolte and Coburn are tremendous. A detailed story rich in small symbols, worthy of more than one viewing. February 28, 2008

Haunting...

I watched this movie late at night on the IFC a few years ago, and it haunts me still. The abuse of a child lingers on, and it's so evident in this movie. I have a very difficult relantionship with my own father, and found myself moved to tears in this movie. The ending shocked me, and very few movies have the power to do that to me. I highly recommend this film, as long as you understand what you're getting into by watching it. August 3, 2007

Stellar acting makes for compelling viewing

I never watched Affliction until a few days ago, and was pleasantly surprised. The story centers around Nick Nolte, who plays a small town cop going through a rough patch, with a failed marriage, and a young daughter who seems to be growing apart from him. He pursues a shooting case that he suspects is a murder conspiracy, and things get more complicated when his mother dies, forcing him to take responsibility for an aging dad who is also violent &abusive [played convincingly by James Coburn].

There are frequent flashbacks by Nolte to his violent childhood [the make-up people did a great job in portraying a youngish looking James Coburn], and Coburn does a great job playing the abusive, alcoholic father who rages at his family [wife, and two sons].

There are good supporting roles here besides James Coburn...there is Sissy Spacek who plays Margie, the supportive lover to Nolte's character. There is Willem Dafoe, who though has limited screen time, provides the voice-over narration for the movie & also plays the younger son, Rolfe, who distances himself from the domestic tragedy that is his past by pursuing a scholarly life.

The story is not really anything new: a violent and abusive legacy that torments Nolte's character, begging the question: is the cycle of violence & abuse something that is cyclical, doomed to be repeated through successive generations? Yet, despite the predictable storyline, the acting is excellent, and the story moves along at a steady pace, as we slowly witness Nolte's cop character being driven slowly but surely towards the brink... a dark and tragic story that makes for compelling viewing. July 5, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...