Affliction

Plot synopsis:
Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) drives his daughter Jill (Brigid Tierney) to a Halloween party, as his brother Rolfe (Willem Dafoe) narrates the opening story. Wade is the sheriff of Lawford, a small New Hampshire town, and knows everyone in town. Wade is divorced from his wife, and Jill doesn't want to be at the party. Wade runs into his friend Jack (Jim True-Frost), who's planning to take hunting party out the following day.The next day, Jack tries to bolster his hunting guest's (Sean McCann) confidence while Jack appears a bit shaken from his daughter's rebellion. Wade also operates the town snow plow, and hears about a hunting accident with Jack and his guest Twombley. Wade and Gordon LaRiviere (Holmes Osborne) head to the woods and hear that Twombley was shot dead. Gordon wants to keep a lid on the accident, but Wade starts asking questions.Wade finds out that Twombley was scheduled to testify against organized crime. He talks to his brother Rolfe and says he's getting a divorce lawyer and may start to "bite back". He serves a traffic violation to Mel Gordon, who's Trombley's son-in-law, who threatens to get Wade fired. Wade continues to probe for the truth. Wade spends time with Margie Fogg (Sissy Spacek), and wants to marry her. He tests his theories to her, but she thinks he's crazy.Through various flashbacks, we learn that Wade and Rolfe's father Glen (James Coburn) was an abusive drunk. Wade takes Margie to see his folks. His father is still a drunk, and his mother (Joanna Noyes) is dead. Rolfe breaks the news to his sister Lena (Martha-Marie Kleinhans), and the remaining family gathers together. Glen lashes out at his sons and daughter in grief, and Wade threatens him. Wade and his ex-wife Lillian (Mary Beth Hurt) have a tense discussion at the funeral.Rolfe and Wade talk about the murder, and Rolfe thinks Mel (the victim's son-in-law) organized the hit to keep potential illicit affairs from becoming public. Jack covered it up so as not to lose his hunting license.Mel Gordon talks to Wade's boss, and Wade reviews his custody case with his lawyer (Eugene Lipinski). Afterwards, Wade's boss offers him a new car and tries to keep Wade from prosecuting Mel. Wade now believes Gordon is in cahoots with Mel and Jack. Later, Wade follows Jack in his car and confronts him. Jack pulls out a rifle and shoots Wade's tires.Wade returns to Margie's diner, where she's babysitting Glen. Glen is belligerent, and they fight. He calls Rolfe and describes his latest theory. Wade goes to Alma Pittman (Marian Seldes), who explains that Glen's land and the area around it is being bought by Gordon and Mel. Wade confronts Gordon and Jack in Gordon's office, then storms out, fired by Gordon. Rolfe's advice is to take care of small things, like his recurring toothache and broken transmission. Glen and Margie argue, and Wade finally pulls his tooth with pliers.Wade picks up Jill for visitation, and Lillian is angry about the lawyer. Jill doesn't want to spend time with Wade, and he gets angry. His world is falling apart. Margie leaves him, and Wade strikes Jill. After they leave, Glen and Wade fight, and Wade clubs Glen, killing him. Numbly, Wade douses Glen in gasoline and sets him and the garage on fire. He walks into the kitchen, pours himself a drink, and watches it burn.Rolfe narrates the end of the story. Wade kills Jack, thinking his theories were correct. Lawford is now a zone near the ski resort built by Gordon LaRiviere and Mel.Wade's whereabouts are unknown.(previous synopsis)
The real drama takes place inside the mind of the lead character, Wade. "What is real?" is the fascinating question here. How far do we go to rationalize our acts and desires? This flick is definitely worth watching from a psychological standpoint!

Tags: violence, depressing, murder, flashback

Review:
The movie looks into the life of a struggling person named Wade Whitehouse, played with extreme intensity by the descriptive Nick Nolte.
Wade's alcoholic father, Glen (James Coburn in an Oscar worthy performance), who abused him and his brother Rolfe (Willem Dafoe) as children, continues to abuse him emotionlly.
The movie is best when allowing Nick Nolte and James Coburn to come to terms with each other's hatred for each other.
The performances are what make this movie much more distinct than similar but lesser films like "The Other Sister" and "The Story of Us," and even better acted than the masterpiece Award winner "American Beauty."	Instead of milking the dysfunctional family material to the maximum, the film also has tender dialogue and heartfelt scenes that exhibit a loving relationship between Wade and his girlfriend.
The story is told by the youngest brother (played mainly in voice-over and a small cameo by Willem Dafoe), and traces the events of a small town murder investigation that leads to the mental collapse of Nolte's cop character.
I would recommend this film if for no other reason than to see the brilliant performances of James Coburn (Oscar winner) and Nick Nolte (Oscar nominee)..
This idea is presented well, but by the end it just feels so thick and depressing that it's hard to take anything from the film, because you don't want to remember it.Acting-wise the movie is quite good.
His character is a mean, vengeful, hateful alcoholic who inflicts his pain on others and afflicts one of his sons, Wade, played by Nick Nolte.Very gripping and intense family drama..
At the end of Affliction, all that you know is that Wade is out there in the world, his angers banked.The film works because of Nolte's performance.
The sub-plots mean little, but show us Wade/Nolte in a field of action, and demonstrate that it is not only his personal life that is a mess.Odd that Banks' The Sweet Hereafter locale was moved from upstate New York to British Columbia, and this film of bare rock, flinty New Hampshire was made in Canada also..
I think Mr. Banks and Mr. Schrader each need to cough up $4.50, and maybe I'll forgive the waste of my time.PS Yes, Nolte gave a great performance, but alas there is no Oscar for Best Actor in a Bad, Bad Movie..
This bleak and depressive story deals a small-time sheriff named Wade Whithehouse(Nick Nolte, also producer) from an icy small-town.
But the investigation results to be the catalyst for his ending degradation and all goes wrong, including a teeth suffering.This cold and thought-provoking drama deals about desperation, madness and distress.Outstanding performances, particularly from Nick Nolte as damaged sheriff who looks for redemption during an investigation but gets worse, and James Coburn who won deservedly Oscar for best secondary actor.
Wade is in a dispute with his former wife Lillian Whitehouse Horner about the custody of their daughter Jill, but when a fatal and questionable hunting accident occurs he becomes absorbed with the case.Finely and engagingly directed by American filmmaker Paul Schrader, this finely tuned fictional tale which is narrated by one of the main characters and from multiple viewpoints, draws a literally afflicting and instantly involving portrayal of a domineering and abusive father's relationship with his two contrary sons who has differing views on their upbringing and a crime which one son embraces as it temporarily takes his mind away from his horrible childhood memories.
While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions and sterling cinematography by Canadian cinematographer and director Paul Sarrosy, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about family relations and a man's strive to break free from his father's shadow depicts some pervasive studies of character and contains a great score by Canadian composer Michael Brook.This conversational, throughout dramatic and literary psychological drama which is set in the state of New Hampshire during a deer hunting season, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, poignant flashback scenes, conflicted characters, emotional substance, distinct acting performances by American actors Nick Nolte and James Coburn (1928-2002) and the fine acting performances by American actresses Sissy Spacek, Mary Beth Hurt and American actor Willem Dafoe.
The biggest plus point of the film, is, that it doesn't try to be REAL, because it pretty much is.'Affliction' is the story of Wade Whitehouse, played amazingly by Nolte, a depressed/frustrated and deranged man who hasn't recovered from the child-abuse he suffered from his father, played by the late James Coborn.
Like many of Schrader's iconic anti-heroes, Wade is a man trying desperately to do the best he possibly can, but is unable to shake free from the grip of his abusive, hard drinking father Glenn; an almost personification of benign evil here, swaggering around in front of his children and casually beating his wife with a gleeful abandon.
However, as the film progresses, Wade himself slips further into darker territories, revealing himself to be closer to his father than he initially expected as the film draws to an exasperating close.Much like his scripts for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, as well as his best film as director with the haunting and surreal Mishima; A Life in Four Chapters (1986), we know that the film is going to reach an eventual violent and downbeat final, as Wade continues to try and find his own kind of redemption amidst a series of unfortunate events.
Right up until then we're drawn into these character's lives through the great all round performances from Nolte, Coburn, Spacek, Dafoe, et al, and from the low-key direction of Schrader.
Nick Nolte, James Coburn and Sissy Spacek in a cold and bleak New Hampshire landscape, all moved and disturbed in their own destinies.
Willem Dafoe has an intriguing voice, which is I'm sure part of why he was chosen for the brother/narrator role.I suppose it would be better without it, because it makes it seem like you are watching an episode of The Waltons,albeit a desperately dysfunctional version.James Coburn was fine.
One quarter captivating mystery thriller, three quarters intense and relentless psychological drama, "Affliction" is unquestionably one of Paul Schrader's finest achievements both as a writer and as a director, and an absolutely devastating and engaging film.The film revolves around the character Wade Whitehouse, played brilliantly by Nick Nolte in what amounts to a masterclass in acting and a career high for Nolte, a troubled small town policeman who is investigating a hunting death while his childhood comes back to haunt him through a series of events that cause him to collapse mentally.
No, Sissy Spacek's character here is very detailed and important, and although her role is relatively small child actress Brigid Tierney is quite excellent as Wade's daughter.The original score by Michael Brook is haunting and memorable and helps keep the film's intensity and atmosphere going, as does Paul Sarossy's cinematography which is suitable to say the least given the harsh setting and subject matter.
Most of the characters are people whom you can respect, but James Coburn's character makes you feel like your stomach just turned to water.Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a cop in a small New England town investigating a hunting accident which he believes is a murder.
Very good performances will stir you, and steer you through the bleak tone of the movie.Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek and James Colburn create believable characters and the script allows the characters to develop--something not all-together common in American movies.Without giving away the ending, which is no surprise if you are thinking while watching the movie, one wonders if the producers ran out of film.
I don't remember if I've ever seen Nolte "disappear" into a role (as Hanks can as easily as breathing), but his Wade Whitehouse is one for the ages.Coburn is exceptional as well, and Spacek provides perfect support, but none of this would have come off as powerfully and as believably were it not for Paul Schrader, who's one of the best screenwriters/directors in the business, yet he still can't get people to remember that he's done other things besides write "Taxi Driver." Schrader's use here of handheld 8mm and black-and-white flashback are prime examples of his imaginative style (check out his tri-styled "Mishima" when you have a chance), and it's a shame that Schrader's not even up for one of the Oscars that either Nolte or Coburn may end up with that night.
A Child Cast as a Man. The movie starts with Wade Whitehouse bringing his daughter to a small town Halloween party.
by Russell Banks, this is an atmospheric film which will leave you with a distinct impression of northern New Hampshire, the cold surreal surroundings, and this telling story of a man's self-destruction.The backdrop of snow and stark whiteness, merely adds to Nick Nolte's character, Wade Whitehouse.
He finds himself at odds with his life, his ex-wife (very well-done by Mary Beth Hurt) his young daughter, his boss (Holmes Osbourne) and his father (James Coburn).Sissy Spacek also portrays Wade's sometime girlfriend, a woman who loves him but can no longer watch him destroy his life.
His alienation is evident even in small things, dealing with a toothache, he merely drinks salt water, and eventually yanks it out; not caring what pain will ensue; he will just have to drink more.James Coburn is excellent as Wade's father, a haunted, angry man, Coburn finds his children to be failures (The only one who survives is Willem Defoe, who escapes to Boston to be a professor).
A seriously heart-rending and agonizing yarn, based on the novel by Russell Banks ("The Sweet Hereafter") and adapted by writer-director Paul Schrader, focuses on the attention of Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte), a small-town sheriff who struggles to forget his terrible past and steering clear of the path that his heavily intimidating, alcoholic father, Glenn Whitehouse (James Coburn) took years ago.
Yes, however; the moments serve as a crucial element of the story which can't be forgotten.Recent Oscar nominees Sissy Spacek ("In the Bedroom") and Willem Dafoe ("Shadow of the Vampire") round out the cast as Wade's girlfriend and Rolfe, who's now grown-up and left the town several years ago.
Nolte is fine here, but the movie truly belongs to Coburn, who certainly makes his presence felt here right away and won a Best Supporting Oscar for his performance.
Plus, he(Coburn) makes some old pros of being sadistic like Kevin Bacon and Dennis Hopper look lame."Affliction" may not be Schrader's best film, but it's irriestable to watch.
It's about a man (Nick Nolte), his father (James Coburn), his girlfriend (Sissy Spacek) and his daughter.
Nick Nolte's "everyman" character -- a man who is basically good, but still unable to save himself -- remains fascinating, though against the usual Hollywood-type protagonist which must have made the typical movie-snob audience nervous and unhappy to watch.
There's a good deal of buzz about Nick Nolte's performance as the tortured son of James Coburn's physically abusive father, and the buzz is deserved, but the impact of Nolte's performance is blunted by a nearly incoherent script.The point of what's on screen (I haven't read the novel, so I don't know if it's any more sophisticated than this), is that physical abuse, like a disease, is passed from generation to generation; oh, and it causes low self-esteem and the inability to form close relationships.
Affliction is the story of a man who spends his life trying to live up to his father's expectations of him.Nick Nolte plays Wade Whitehouse a man who is separated from his family, works at a series of meaningless jobs, including that of a part-time police officer, drinks too much and seems to be going nowhere with his life.
James Coburn, who deservedly won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role, is outstanding as Nolte's brutal and boozy father.
I think Paul Schrader is the greatest screenwriter out there, I didn't really like his directorial films, except for Mishima (one of the best movies of all time) and this.
Nick Nolte has in Wade Whitehouse's interpretation one of his great moments, without a doubt, "Affliction " is the best film of his career, that was already being found losing it's breath.
Therefore, "Affliction " went very good for the star's career.The Oscar of this year, without a doubt, deserves to go for him, because the actor achieved to pass for the audience all the emotion and suffering, being, in some moments, impossible to contain the tears.The story is simple, without great moments, it tells a common man's life, equal to me, you or your parents, who, from one hour  to another, decides to place all his mistakes and  defects back and to look for inside of himself his largest virtues.
With a superb cast, led by Nick Nolte (in his best performance since " The Prince of Tides "), an efficient and diligent direction, a picture that combines with perfection to the climate proposed by the film, "Affliction " is a small masterpiece, a study about the man, about, for more incredible than it seems, the human spirit and about the fact that it always triumphs in the end..
What it does have is a look at some very disfunctional, yet very believable people, and of how one in particular (Nick Nolte's character) got that way.The acting by everyone involved, particularly Nolte and James Coburn, is first-rate.
Nick Nolte was nominated for best actor for his performance here as Wade Whitehouse, a small town New Hampshire sheriff who's really not a very good sheriff.
Outstanding performances by Nolte and Coburn are ably supported by five-time Oscar nominee Sissy Spacek as Wade Whitehouse's girlfriend who watches in disbelief as the man she loves becomes "that which he beheld." This is clearly not a film for all audiences or all tastes.
Affliction, written and directed by the great Paul Schrader from a novel by Russell Banks, starts off like a story you've heard a thousand times.
This is what the film boils down to in a lot of ways, the things that make a man and what being a man really means.Interestingly, the story is told from the outside perspective of Whitehouse's brother Rolfe, played by the always great Willem Dafoe.
James Coburn plays the father, and the man he creates on screen is monstrous.The film is unrelentingly grim and at times downright uncomfortable.
Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, & James Coburn turn in some of the finest acting of their careers.
A sad, slow and hard movie to like: Affliction, the film that gave new force for James Coburn's career and earned him an Academy Award, is a difficult drama.
Directed with coldness and distance by Schrader, Affliction is about a problematic sheriff who is scared of become like his old man, a violent and full-of-rage person (Coburn, in a complex part- he does a great job).
...great performances, and a very believable plot.The movie starts out rather dull until James Coburn enters the setting as Wade Whitehouse's (Nick Nolte) father, an abusive drunk who seems to be degrading his son's relationships and reputation as the town cop.
For me, the most interesting relationship has to be between Wade and his ex-wife's family and daughter.Yes, the daughter was way too whiny and I could see how we could dislike her character, but watching Nolte struggling to be tender and commanding with the girl was my favorite part of the film.
As low-rent cop Wade Whitehouse, Nick Nolte gives an impressive, but oppressive, performance, as does Oscar winner James Coburn, who plays Wade's abusive dad.
I don't think it's possible to like Affliction in this regard, but I can tell you I sure as hell respected it.One scene in particular made the film for me: the bloody attempt at dentistry Nick Nolte performs upon himself.
Nolte is well cast as a man on the verge of a complete mental breakdown, due to an unusual hunting accident and his past involving an abusive father(Coburn, in a superb Oscar winning performance).
The main characters, Wade Whitehouse (Nolte) and his abusive father (Coburn) are interesting, believable, and well acted.
The movie becomes a contest between Nick Nolte's character and his father (played brilliantly by the great James Coburn) as to who has the more pathetic life.
The only redeeming thing about this movie is the performance of James Coburn as the alcoholic father.
Based on a novel by Russell Banks who also wrote "The Sweet Hereafter", and directed by Paul Schrader of "Raging Bull" and "The Mosquito Coast" fame, the winter landscape and cold bleakness of the town sets the tone for this exploration of the dark legacy of what it is to be a man.Nick Nolte stars in this dark story of the lone policeman in a small New Hampshire town investigating a hunting accident.
Based on a novel by Russell Banks who also wrote "The Sweet Hereafter", and directed by Paul Schrader of "Raging Bull" and "The Mosquito Coast" fame, the winter landscape and cold bleakness of the town sets the tone for this exploration of the dark legacy of what it is to be a man.Nick Nolte stars in this dark story of the lone policeman in a small New Hampshire town investigating a hunting accident.
James Coburn is excellent as Nick Nolte's father, a brutal and angry old man who typifies a sick machismo which has in turn afflicted his son.
James Coburn is excellent as Nick Nolte's father, a brutal and angry old man who typifies a sick machismo which has in turn afflicted his son.
James Coburn deserved the Oscar he won for his terrifying portrayal of a cruel and abusive man, and watching him we understand why Schrader said he needed an actor who could convincingly terrify a character played by Nick Nolte.
The film, however belongs to James Coburn, Nick Nolte and the impeccable direction of Paul Schrader.
I do think Nolte and Sissy Spacek and Devoe and Coburn are as good a group as you are gonna get, I just didn't like the film.