Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78662 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-02-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 109 minutes

Special Features
16:9 Wide Screen
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Dolby Digital 2.0
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer
Director And Cast Filmographies

Synopsis
Based on the novel by Russell Banks, AFFLICTION is a sobering, absorbing psychological study of the precarious relationship between an abusive father and his two sons. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a middle-aged ineffectual sheriff in a small New Hampshire town, where he and his brother, Rolfe (Willem Dafoe), were raised. When events shatter the quiet of his small town, Wade is forced to confront the past and reexamine his life, attempting a reconciliation with his abusive, alcoholic dad, Glen (James Coburn), by moving back home to look after him. This quietly intense, haunting, and beautifully filmed story unfolds against the harsh snow-white backdrop of a town where everyone knows each other. But more than anything, it is the brilliant performances of its cast that mark this film.

From the Back Cover
Wade Whitehouse is at a turning point in his life. people order him around everywhere he turns, from his demanding boss, to his ex-wife who won't let him see his daughter, to his ageing, violent alchoholic father. For Wade the future looks bleak, until his quiet New Hampshire town is shattered by the death of a Boston union official during a deer hunt led by Wade's friend Jack. The incident is written off as an accident, but Wade suspects that Jack is guilty of murder. Solving the crime becomes Wade's obsession and his last opporunity to redeem himself in the eye's of the town, his ex-wife, his father and , most of all - himself. Featuring an impressive cast Affliction is a tense and compelling psycho-drama.

Customer Reviews

Sobering
This cautionary tale should be watched by every son and every father. It tells the story of the consequences of a bullying father's behaviour on his sons and -- to a lesser extent -- on his daughter. Each of the offspring becomes damaged in some way through his unreasonable behaviour. And for one of them the consequences are drastic with a broken marriage, estranged child, lost job, abandoned friends, and a possible murder (or maybe even two if you look at it a certain way) as a part of the crack-up of his life.

Nolte's performance as the main casualty is excellent; James Coburn is suitably overbearing as the father (himself a damaged child) and strong support is given by Willem Dafoe and Sissy Spacek. The bleak New Hampshire winters are well caught by the excellent photography.

It won't leave you feeling warm and happy but it might make you look at yourself a different way. And that is the purpose of all good art.

Bleak but interesting
This film can be quite difficult to sit through, but by the end it guarantees the viewer to think about the (possible) morals it raises.
Nick Nolte gives an excellent performance, and as in most Schrader-written films, we are led to sympathise with the protagonist - but only up to a point. The childhood flashbacks in particular give us some idea and explanation of the two brothers anger towards their father. Although, towards the end of the film (in the garage), I first thought that both Paul Schrader and Wade had lost the plot by this point, but the epilogue is a brilliant, thought-provoking sequence that justifies the previous 90 minutes or so. How much are we like our fathers? Are their sins revisited on the children?
Hardly repeated viewing material but definitely worth watching.

Study yourselves...!
Writer/director Paul Schrader has always been fascinated by the line between sanity and madness, and what it takes to push a man over the edge.

Affliction successfully and effectively navigates treacherous and complex psychological territory without ever missing a beat. Although many of the plot details can be found in any dysfunctional family drama, the vividness of Wade's character is what makes this film especially compelling. Presentation is everything, and this is far more powerful than any TV movie of the week about the effects of child abuse. Affliction is for anyone willing to take the journey into the heart and soul of a troubled man on the edge.... very good movie!