Little Children (R, 2006)

LITTLE CHILDREN (based on the novel by Tom Perrotta) follows several intersecting storylines having to do with parents and children -- and parents who behave like children. Todd Field's movie begins with convicted child predator Ronnie McGorvey's (Jackie Earle Haley) release and subsequent return to his mother's home. The other main story involves Brad (Patrick Wilson), a stay-at-home dad studying for his third try at the bar exam, whose wife (Jennifer Connelly) is focused on their son. One day Brad meets Sarah (Kate Winslet), who feels similarly frustrated, sad, and abandoned by her spouse, who is addicted to Internet porn. Brad and Sarah enter into a steamy affair that provides a romantic vision of themselves as desired and desirable. They spend their summer afternoons at the public pool, with their children. When Ronnie arrives at the pool, dons his flippers and snorkel, then slips into the water, parents scream for their kids to get out of the water, and the cops remove Ronnie from the premises. And so the children are "protected."

If Little Children -- an intricate puzzle of upper-middle-class suburban dread and desire -- is pedantic and sometimes smug in its judgments, it is also painful. As the characters try to define themselves, they are also self-deluding, which leads to tragedy.

Repeatedly, the lines separating adults and children are poorly defined. Adults are irresponsible, remaining children even as they take care of their kids. Parents pursue juvenile desires, trampling others to do so, while citing the "protection" of children as the ultimate and unassailable rationale.

Studio: New Line
Director: Todd Field
Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson
Genre: Drama
Run time: 130 minutes
Theatrical release: October 6, 2006
DVD release: May 1, 2007
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong sexuality and nudity, language and some disturbing content.