Little Children

Brad Adamson (Wilson) feels like a kept man. A househusband to the ambitious Kathy (Connelly), Brad's days are spent bringing his young son to the playground and the local pool. It is here that he meets Sarah (Winslet), a frustrated housewife to a chronic masturbator, and the two embark on an affair. In the neighbourhood, Ronnie (Haley) - previously convicted for exposing himself to kids - moves in, and the locals keep a beady eye on his whereabouts. A black comedy about adultery and a paedophile-in-waiting doesn't come along very often, and Todd Field makes it unmissable when it does. His off-beat, quirky movie is tied together with an amusing voiceover, written in a very matter of fact style: "Brad showered quickly, sensing a rare opportunity to have sex with his wife." Little Children manages to walk the fine line between unfocused and free flowing. It hops long without ever trying to nail down a cohesive plotline, as it's made clear from the outset that it is not just about two people who are cheating on their partners. It's also downright funny. Winslet, Wilson and Haley are pitch-perfect in their roles: Winslet portrays the irritated housewife without ever going through the usual 'my-husband-doesn't-understand-me' emotions; Wilson, who stole the show in last year's Hard Candy, is again in scene-stealing form here. His Brad looks, feels and talks like a fully-fledged person with good and bad points. But it is Haley that stands out, managing to be both sympathetic and deranged at the same time - the scene when he goes to the kids pool for a swim, and when he spots two kids at another table when he's on a date will send shivers down your spine.