Little Children

Acts and drives that will substantially affect our future actions, hidden and repressed desires, prejudices, fears, mob madness, restraint, caution, indecision, endless motherly love, envy, hatred, old wounds from the past, disappointment, loss of a loved one, surrender... BUT above all, an exemplary relationship drama that impressively connects several human destinies and in each case shows how people are not perfect, that we all make mistakes, and how many "ills" often stem from despair, from the desire for change, the desire to "breathe again"... And Kate as Sarah is just amazing. "IT'S THE HUNGER. THE HUNGER FOR AN ALTERNATIVE, AND THE REFUSAL TO ACCEPT A LIFE OF UNHAPPINESS." (07/06/2009)

A somewhat sterile love drama in places, where at times it seems that the world has more weirdos than normal, rational-minded individuals. Some situations are quite adequately depicted, others not so much. The sometimes deaf moments and the relatively slow and uninteresting pace are topped off by a strong conclusion, which is both brilliantly scripted and appropriately chilling. Still, I didn't find Little Children as compact and entertaining as other, thematically related films. (12/18/2022)

A truly perfect film with a strong story and great characters. Kate Winslet is great as always and Jackie Earle Haley - the pedophilia oozes out of him and the scene with him at the end - wow. This is one of those movies I just can't get out of my head, which is good. I was thinking 4*, but I'll add one it because it's an exceptional film. (12/29/2009)

A near-perfect relationship drama, which stands above all on an excellent script, full of fresh and unexpected situations that unexpectedly build up in the end. The character of the sexual deviant Ronnie initially felt too forcefully shoehorned into the story, but in the end his fate became the most emotional element of the entire narrative, with one chilling moment at the end that made my blood run cold. In this context, I can't help but berate the Oscar academics for preferring Arkin's embarrassing grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine to Jackie Haley's impressive performance. The fact that, in the case of the two main characters, Field's conclusion doesn't try to make their relationship sound as fatal as possible is something I applaud. It is not always necessary to push too hard to evoke intense emotions. And for the first time ever, I must also highlight the brilliant trailer, which is such a small work of art thanks to the use of an unconventional minimalist soundtrack of an arriving train, perfectly matched with the editing of the shots (and thanks to it I was eagerly awaiting Little Children, despite the fact that I always take trailers with a grain of salt). (05/23/2007)

Honestly, as a man, I envy the main male protagonist for his dilemma of choosing between the wife portrayed by Jennifer Connelly and the interesting mother from the neighborhood, Kate Winslet. Yeah, those are some serious worries. This relationship drama is sympathetically placed between comedic and tragic elements and fulfills the function of a romantic relationship drama with several interesting characters and well-observed scenes from life. It's not a film that is at the top of its genre or one that a person would think about for a long time in a significant way, but it works very well emotionally. Overall impression: 75%. (05/19/2012)