Review of Little Children (2006) by Michael Y — 13 Sep 2010

A very romantic yet unsettling look on the feminism and emasculation of two suburban parents. Some might find this movie uncomfortable, but this movie to me is a "feel good movie". And Kate Winslet being naked had little to do with that opinion.

Little Children (you can break that title down into many many story and medaphorical elemenets) is about a mother housewife who becomes attracted to a father who also spends his days caring for his child. When the woman becomes tired and frusterated with her relationship, she begins taking risks and becomes close friends with the man. This movie is based on a novel, but the story is just so well writen and the movie is presented in such a great way that it's hard not liking this movie. Not only does this movie focus on the man and the woman, but it also followes the town's local pedophile who is constantly harrased by a retired cop. This movie spans a lot of themes, metaphores and character analysis that are not hard to follow at all. But the majority of the film focuses on free will, rebellion of ones emotions, the moral obligations of love, what is a man, human rights and many more.

I was very impressed with the way this movie was made. It's almost like you were picturing the story in your head while reading the book. There were many creative filming styles used that broke away from the conventional drama. A variety of camera shots, transitions and video and sound editing makes this heavy drama very interesting to watch. Camera effects with lighting and the use of sound and music are really impressive because you don't expect to see such a style or variety in other movies of the genre.

Personal opinion will effect your opinion on the rating of this movie, but for me, there is very little that I would consider flaws in this movie. It has an intriguing plot, personal themes, star cast, likable characters, fantastic preformances, great directing. This movie has it all. Some might not like it as much, but the subject matter of this movie couldn't have been presented better in any other movie.