Little Children

Based on a novel by Tom Perrotta, Little Children follows the lives of two suburban couples as they grapple with the frustrations and complexities of their lives. As the title implies, they are young parents who are not so very grown up themselves. Kate Winslet plays Sarah, a woman locked in a stifling marriage, a contemporary Madame Bovary looking for some way to come to life. She awakens to that new life by launching an affair with a stay-at-home dad she meets in the park where the two take their children to play. Winslet was nominated for an Oscar for her role, and she deserved that nomination with this emotionally rich performance. A voice-over narrator comments on the action of the film, maintaining the quality and the complexity of the novel on which it was based. The characters and the plot are richly textured, and that texturing draws the viewer into the lives unfolding as these little children struggle to grow. Beautifully written and masterfully directed by Todd Field. Not to be missed.