Movie Title: Affliction
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller,
Writer: Paul Schrader, based on the novel by Russell Banks
Starring: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, Willem Dafoe, Mary Beth Hurt, Brigid Tierney, Holmes Osborne, Jim True-Frost, Marian Seldes, Wayne Robson, Joanna Noyes
Review: Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a deeply troubled small town cop that investigates a suspicious hunting death, deals with his shattered family life, and battles an abusive father (James Coburn) in writer/director Paul Schrader's dark drama Affliction. while events occur that cause him to mentally disintegrate.
Affliction is a movie about what abuse, domestic violence, and alcoholism can do a family, a town, and one man's mental state. This was not an entertaining movie in the typical sense. I wanted to see this for the powerhouse performances from Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe, and the legendary James Coburn. They are all perfect here. Coburn is so good as the monstrous patriarch of the Whitehouse family. He's so good in fact that he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Nick Nolte is riveting as a man that is reaching his boiling point with life, reality, and a lifetime of abuse. He's sad, depressed, disillusioned, and stunted by fear and anger. Truly incredible performances.
Paul Schrader's script and direction feels like you are a fly on the wall to witness a believable small town, its inhabitants, and the dark family secrets that everyone knows in one way or another. The authenticity is key to drawing you into this deeply disturbing story filled with ugly characters and harsh realities.
I do recommend Affliction with the caveat that the movie does go to places that will make you seriously uncomfortable, but it does showcase some of the best writing and film acting I have seen in years. A bleak drama without a doubt.
Fun Fact: When meeting with James Coburn to discuss the film, director Paul Schrader encouraged him to make heavy preparations for his role. Coburn responded "Oh, you mean you want me to really act? I can do that. I haven't often been asked to, but I can." Coburn came out of retirement to act in the film which won him an Oscar for his performance.