as any sociologist will attest , your childhood and the types of parents that you have will heavily influence your happiness as an adult .
parents that are supportive and environments that are nurturing will yield children who will embrace the values and norms that can allow them to live healthy and productive lives .
but if your upbringing is marred with violence , hate and dysfunctionality , then your journey towards a happy adulthood will be saddled with psychological obstacles almost too great to overcome .
` affliction ' explores how a man never truly escapes the grip of an unforgivingly nightmarish childhood .
the man in question is wade whitehouse ( nick nolte ) .
here is a man who is like any other citizen on the surface .
he is a productive member of the community and goes about his daily routine much like you and me .
but as you scratch beneath the surface , something scary and evil begins to rear its ugly head .
we see that he is a mean - tempered person .
he has a hard time taking control of his emotions , which usually gets the better of him .
he is quick to apologize for his actions and wants to be a gentle person , but something is sparking a tendency towards violence .
he also has tremendous problems with relationships .
he is divorced and his only connection to love is his daughter .
but his bearish persona and stature alienates her .
he is visibly shaken by her rejection even though she says that she loves him .
his demeanor also puts his relationship with a local townsgirl ( sissy spacek ) at risk .
she tries to remain true to him and supportive , but for women unlucky enough to attach themselves to this kind of person , relationships will ultimately end like sentences ending with an exclamation point .
finally , he is spiteful and vindictive .
as a rejected father , he initiates a custody battle that seems hopeless .
as the town 's only police officer , he issues a speeding ticket to a man whose father has just died .
we can see that this is a man that is both afflicted and living with pain .
he is a prisoner and a slave to it .
he is moving towards a level of madness and insanity that defies comprehension .
what kind of force can move a man to the edge of his emotions and beyond the reach of people who genuinely care for him ?
we learn that the answer is his father ( james coburn ) .
this is the kind of father that every son would be ashamed to have and that any woman would be afraid to meet .
he is an overbearingly misogynistic and frequent drunk who rules with an iron fist .
we see his tyrannical behavior through flashbacks .
to heighten the father 's churlishness , the flashbacks are shown as home video footage taken by a very frightened person .
very effective .
today , wade 's dad is quite elderly , but still manages to instill fear into a grown man .
the influence that the father possesses is inescapable , and its unsavory effect clamps down hard on the tortured wade .
the result is every son 's nightmare ? becoming like the father that one has always dreaded to be .
this is a terrifically presented piece of psychological drama , and nolte turns in a strong performance as a man whose pain seems to become a detriment as well as a necessity .
he 's a hulking person who is still reduced to whimpers when in the presence of his father .
coburn displays heft
as the bitter dad .
but , it 's most certainly not saturday - night - friendly fare .
there 's nothing light or fluffy about this film .
that may turn many moviegoers away .
but it 's certainly worth noting that this is a well - acted drama showcasing nolte 's and coburn 's raw acting talents .
very effective a terrifically presented piece displays heft this is a well - acted drama showcasing nolte 's and coburn 's raw acting talents turns in a strong performance