[.ca] Affliction

Amazon.com essential video:
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

Paul Schrader's stark masterwork.:
"Affliction" is a rare peephole into the abyss of our weaknesses - then a downward spiral into desolation and fear, or, as one character puts it: "Man's seduction into revenge." Paul Schrader, who wrote "Raging Bull" "Taxi Driver" and "The Mosquito Coast," works here from Russell Banks' novel. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a second-rate sheriff in wintry, upstate New Hampshire who doubles as a worker for a landscaping contractor (Holmes Osborne) to make ends meet. He lives in a trailer. He wears flannel sweatshirts and raggedy coats. He smokes marijuana, drinks incessantly. Wade's pushed by almost everyone, his mind is half-clogged by his ex-wife (Mary Beth Hurt), a distant, cold woman who took Wade's equally distant, cold daughter with her when they divorced. Nolte, in the best work of his long career, has a chewed-up face, bad haircut, slouchy demeanor. But his presence looms larger in "Affliction" than it ever has before. His outbursts of anger are matched solely by his father, Glen (James Coburn). Through flashbacks Glen's character is fleshed out as less a man than a force of hatred, tainting all those around him. Rarely has been a performance so wickedly effective. Coburn, who won the Academy Award for this role, snarls, growls, cackles; he's a derivative of evil, a man who's been allowed to rule by fear and intimidation, a man who, when his wife dies, is still taken in by the son who truly hates him. Their toxic kinship is surrounded by a curious murder investigation that serves as a catalyst to Wade's descent. It seems a town bigshot (Sean McCann) accidentally shot himself with a rifle in a hunting accident. Wade thinks otherwise. Possibly it was a murder. There is some evidence to support it, though "Affliction is no whodunit. Wade perceives the murder as a chance to finally best his detractors; we know it will only sink him further. By the end, all of Wade's problems sink into one, and they all lead to one place: dad's house.

BORING!!!:
I've tried to watch this film three or four times and could never get through it. It was soooo slow and dull. I never cared about any of the people and it was just over the top depressing. I understand that some people feel tgar it may be some great acting and a very upscale film, but it really did nothing for me.

BORING!!!!:
I've tried to watch this film three or four times and could never get through it. It was soooo slow and dull. I never cared about any of the people and it was just over the top depressing. I understand that some people feel tgar it may be some great acting and a very upscale film, but it really did nothing for me.

Affliction (1999):
Director: Paul Schrader Cast: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, William Dafoe, Jim True, Mary Beth Hurt. Running Time: 114 minutes. Rated R for language and mild child abuse. Director Paul Schrader's account of the troubles that child abuse can bring to those afflicted much later in life--the everlasting affect that the criminality and brutality of the fear it can cause. "Affliction" is not an uplifting film and it tends to drag throughout, but it can at times be very powerful and depressing. Small-town New Hampshire constable Nick Nolte investigates an accidental shooting that he believes to be murder; meanwhile, his personal life deteriorates as he is haunted by a horrific childhood terrorized by a drunken, abusive father (played brilliantly by James Coburn, who would earn an Oscar for the role). The story twists and turns between two themes, but mainly gets tangled and disjointed by the end of the film. Schrader does not seem confident in choosing to focus more on the murder conspiracy or the father-son relationship between Nolte and Coburn. While Coburn's performance was celebrated, Sissy Spacek is very good as Nolte's wife and William Dafoe is perfectly casted as the concerned, loving brother. The final result of "Affliction" is melodramatic, slightly bleak, and overall implausible; however, the excellent roles carry this motion picture from the gutter and heighten it as a moderately effective drama.

A Haunting Film:
I saw this movie several years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. Whenever I think about the truly great films I've seen, and would like to see again, this one always makes the list as great, but I have avoided watching it again because, depending upon your childhood, it is extremely disturbing. Beware anyone who has experienced life with an abusive parent, you will see the fear and despair come to life before your eyes. James Coburn and Nick Nolte portray this type of hellish relationship with stunning realism. I have read reviews from those who, apparently, couldn't really believe that parents and children could have such a relationship. Not so, friends. This is a scathing, searing, film -- with no bullets or exploding cars. You have been warned.