Country: US
Technical: col 87m
Director: Nicole Kassell
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Yasiin Bey, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Shannon
Synopsis:
A child molester out on parole struggles to overcome his addiction to pubescent girls, while simultaneously forging a conventional relationship with a work colleague and fighting off harassment from others, not least a police detective who has him under observation.
Review:
Details such as the placement of the protagonist's flat across the street from a school playground carry less conviction on film than they might have done on stage, but the structuring visits of the police sergeant and the close attention to pacing betray the film's theatrical origins in a good way. The five supporting characters (brother-in-law, girlfriend, therapist, cop, twelve year-old girl) each represents a form of rehabilitation for the sex offender, drawing him out from inside his pernicious shell, and the makers thus force us to confront our own attitudes. Some might accuse it of shaping our response via special pleading, but nevertheless it's a brave piece of work.
Country: US
Technical: col 87m
Director: Nicole Kassell
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Yasiin Bey, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Shannon
Synopsis:
A child molester out on parole struggles to overcome his addiction to pubescent girls, while simultaneously forging a conventional relationship with a work colleague and fighting off harassment from others, not least a police detective who has him under observation.
Review:
Details such as the placement of the protagonist's flat across the street from a school playground carry less conviction on film than they might have done on stage, but the structuring visits of the police sergeant and the close attention to pacing betray the film's theatrical origins in a good way. The five supporting characters (brother-in-law, girlfriend, therapist, cop, twelve year-old girl) each represents a form of rehabilitation for the sex offender, drawing him out from inside his pernicious shell, and the makers thus force us to confront our own attitudes. Some might accuse it of shaping our response via special pleading, but nevertheless it's a brave piece of work.
