M&M: Little Children

In a small suburban town Brad (Patrick Wilson) is on the playing ground with his son Aaron (Ty Simpkins) as they meet Sarah (Kate Winslet) and her daughter Lucy (Sadie Goldstein). Being the only man amongst women on the playing ground, Brad is idolised a lot. Brad and Sarah decide to play a trick on th other women. They both start to like each other soon. Brad is married, but his wife is very controlling and he wishes himself back to earlier times. Sarah is married, too, but her life as a housewife and her daughter go on her nerves.

The idyllic times of the suburb comes to a hold when Ronald „Ronnie“ McGorvey (Jackie Earle Haley), who was convicted to two years in prison is released and moves in with his mother May (Phyllis Somerville). Especially the ex-cop Larry Hedges (Noah Emmerich) is not at all pleased with this and starts a hate campaign against Ronnie McGorvey. Larry Hedges quit the police job after he misjudged a situation and a teenager got killed in the process.

So effectively every adult in this town is insecure, unhappy and burdened by their fate, each in their own way. Only the little children are confident and innocent. If and how the adults work on a (better) future for themselves, you'll have to find out yourself.

The movie came out in 2006. Todd Field was the director and also wrote the script together with Tom Perrotta. It is based on the novel by the same name by Tom Perrotta. The movie shows the daily life and struggles of suburbanites. Still the relationships of each individual person and their fears and difficulties are complex and well played by the actors. Kate Winslet got an Oscar nomination as leading actress and so did Jackie Earle Haley for supporting actor. Todd Field and Tom Perrotta got a nomination for best writing for adapted screenplay. “Little Children” is by no means a cheap suburban daily life movie.

I haven't read the novl yet, so I can't draw any parallels. I do think the movie is worth watching. Ronnie McGorvey's sexual offence and his moving in with his mother may give this movie an uneasy sexual aspect. Apart from the fact that I like Jackie Earle Haley as an actor, I did have the feeling that Ronnie McGorvey wanted to start a better life for himself. I thought that Larry Hedges with his aggressive ways was more disrupting for this place and for way to live together peacefully. But he, too, had his very own problems and at th end of the movie he shows that he can overcome his anger and disgust to help.